


Your Purpose

by Dev0ted



Series: Persona 5: The Royal Aftermath [2]
Category: Persona 3, Persona 5, Persona 5: The Royal - Fandom
Genre: Combat(later on mainly), F/M, Fluff, Mystery, New Threats
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:13:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 83,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25192981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dev0ted/pseuds/Dev0ted
Summary: YHWH sealed, Erebus defeated; what else is there for the Trickster?Akira must find what his purpose is now that his days of Thieving are over, be it through Track and Field or spending time with Sumire.However, will the peace he fought so hard for really last, or is there another threat looming in the not so far off distance?Akira must find his own path forward.
Relationships: Aigis/Arisato Minato, Kurusu Akira & Sakamoto Ryuji, Kurusu Akira/Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi, Sakamoto Ryuji/Takamaki Ann
Series: Persona 5: The Royal Aftermath [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1800358
Comments: 81
Kudos: 112





	1. New Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soo... this will NOT be broken up into three parts, but it will be seen as one big fic just for simplicity’s sake

“Hell yeah! We’re finally here!” Ryuji exclaimed as he threw his bags onto the sofa, Akira softly putting down his own bags of essentials.

“You do realize that we’re not the only ones on this floor, right?” Akira sighed, a small smile on his face as Ryuji gave him a sheepish grin. 

“Sorry about that,” Ryuji said, his voice lowered but still full of excitement. “But dude, we’re finally rooming together! This is ‘effing sweet!” Akira’s smile grew to match Ryuji’s grin as his best friend turned, his eyes bright with excitement. 

“You can say that again!” Akira lightly exclaimed as Ryuji put his arm into the air. Akira reached up and made contact, not intending to hit so hard but Ryuji winced backwards.

“Jeez, man! Don’t do it so hard!” Ryuji yelped, grabbing his now red hand with his other. Akira brought his own hand back in and looked at Ryuji’s hand before staring at his own palm. Closing his eyes, Akira took a deep breath in and could feel it; the power that having the Will of the Masses pulsing through him. 

‘This can’t keep being an issue for me,’ Akira thought to himself, scrunching up his face as he focused on reigning in his power. Sweat began forming at his brow as he reached deep within himself towards the source of his power, YHWH. Ever since he rid humanity of their overwhelming desire for death, Akira felt his own powers become unstable. The seal on YHWH was still as strong as ever, but using the full power that the Will of the Masses gave broke something within him. However, this was the first time Akira bothered to see what was wrong due to life being non-stop ever since his revival one month ago with the last minute applications for housing at the University, to not finding anything remaining, to Haru basically giving the two a free apartment nearby that was part of an apartment complex that her father bought out years ago. 

As he continued focusing inward, Akira was able to push back the power deep into his subconscious and, for the first time since Christmas Eve, felt like a normal person again. Akira slowly reopened his eyes to see Ryuji staring directly at him still.

“Hey, you okay man?” Ryuji asked, his voice full of concern. 

“Yeah,” Akira responded, nodding his head only to feel slightly light headed. He took another deep breath in to calm down. “I really should have tried that earlier…”

“Tried what?” Ryuji asked, his face mixed with concern and confusion. However, just as Akira was about to explain, he felt all his power rush back through his body, causing a burst of pressure to come from him. The entire room shook violently for a second before returning to normal, with Ryuji staring in surprise at Akira as the black haired teen let out a sigh.

“Dammit…” Akira cursed as his hair fell back down, his demeanor almost nonchalant after what just happened. “I’m trying to control my powers now so I don’t accidentally hurt someone, but it’s being a pain in the ass to control,” Akira explained to Ryuji, an irritated look in his eyes.

“Dude, I don’t know why you’re that concerned about it,” Ryuji suddenly said, snapping out of his shock with an even greater amount of excitement. “That power is friggin sweet!”

“Yeah, but I need to keep it on the down low,” Akira replied, the atmosphere in the room shifting immediately. “I feel it was my fault for the shadows appearing on Christmas, and I feel like if I don’t get a handle on my powers that something like that could happen again.” Ryuji stared at Akira’s worried face and walked over to him.

“Hey, everything’s good now,” Ryuji said confidently, slapping Akira on the back. The raven haired teen looked up to see his best friend grinning at him. “Even if shadows do show up, we now know of those Shadow Ops people. I’m sure they can handle it, so let’s just live our lives now, okay?”

Akira stared dumbfoundedly at Ryuji for a second before chuckling to himself. “Heh, when you’re right, you’re right, Ryuji,” Akira said, turning towards Ryuji and began the motion to slap him on his back. Ryuji looked at him with worry in his eyes, but Akira’s face scrunched in concentration just as he made contact. To Ryuji’s relief, Akira lightly smacked his back. Akira broke his concentration again, his face breaking into a grin as he saw the sweat forming on Ryuji’s forehead.

“Heh, scared you there?” Akira joked. 

“Dude, I thought I was about to die!” Ryuji exclaimed, attempting to keep up his air of worry but the two broke down into laughter. They laughed for a good while until realization crossed Ryuji’s face and he pulled out his phone.

“Shit! I got practice today!” he shouted as he picked up his bags. “Which room do you want, Akira?”

“I’ll take the one on the right,” Akira responded as he looked at the hallway connecting the common space to three bedrooms and a bathroom. He still couldn’t quite believe that Haru was able to get them an apartment as spacious as this one that was so close to the University of Tokyo, but that’s what being an heiress to a massive corporation gets you. Ryuji quickly sprinted to the room on the left, leaving the room at the end of the hallway as their spare room. Akira calmly moved his own stuff to his new room, Ryuji quickly unpacking everything he brought with him and getting situated. 

The room was entirely empty except for a bed, a drawer, a shelving unit and a desk. Even though it was fairly spacious compared to most rooms, Akira couldn’t help but feel slightly claustrophobic comparing it to Leblanc’s attic. ‘Oh god, I actually miss that attic don’t I…’ Akira thought to himself as he began unpacking his own stuff. On top of the essentials, Akira made sure to bring all of his friends gifts from two years ago and began positioning it all on the shelving unit. Luckily for him it was around the same size as the shelving unit he had at Leblanc as he finished putting all of the gifts up, making some last minute adjustments to make sure it looked good. 

After putting away his clothes into his dresser and setting out his covers for his bed, Akira took a step back and looked around the room. ‘Eh, still needs some work but it looks good,’ Akira thought to himself, a small sense of pride filling his chest as he looked over his new living space. 

“Hey Akira, I’m gonna head out pretty so- Damn dude, you work fast!” Ryuji exclaimed as he stood in the doorway to Akira’s room.

“I’m assuming you still have work to do?” Akira asked as he turned to face his friend. Ryuji slumped his shoulders forward, a downcast look crossing his face telling Akira everything he needed to know.

“Yeah…” Ryuji let out with a sigh following. Akira chuckled lightly while shaking his head. 

“Never change, Ryuji,” Akira continued chuckling as he walked forward and rested his hand on Ryuji’s shoulder. As his hand made contact with Ryuji’s shoulder, Akira felt the Chariot Arcana within him spark with electricity and felt slightly lightheaded. Ryuji looked up and grinned sheepishly at Akira as the teen slowly removed his hand, masking his sudden shock as best as he could with his own grin. “Anyways,” Akira said after taking a quick breath, Ryuji thankfully not noticing, “you said that you have to go soon?”

“Yeah, I’m actually gonna head out now,” Ryuji informed Akira, turning his back to his former leader. “I’ll be done at around 8 p.m, so you want to do something afterwards?”

“I’m actually meeting Sumire today, so probably not,” Akira said. Ryuji’s grin fell slightly before growing even bigger. 

“You just can’t say no to her, can you?” Ryuji joked, letting out a small chuckle.

“What can I say? I love her more than anything in this world,” Akira replied with a shrug. Ryuji would have faked offence, but he was going to be late if he waited any longer.

“Shit dude, I really gotta go! I’ll see you later!” Ryuji shouted back as he ran into his room, grabbed his bag of spare clothes, water bottle, and spikes and ran out of the apartment. Akira allowed his own grin to remain on his face as he calmly walked over to his bed and laid down. Closing his eyes, Akira remembered the feeling of the Chariot Arcana growing deep within him and raised his right arm, pulling back his sleeve to see his own reflection in his evoker. 

_ “We can live in peace now, Akira,” _ Raoul’s voice echoed within Akira, causing the teen’s grin to soften into a smile.

‘Yeah, you’re right Raoul,’ Akira responded, his eyes beginning to close as he let out a small yawn. However, just as his eyes were about to fully shut, Akira’s phone began buzzing in his pocket. His eyes flew back open and he whipped out his phone to see Sumire was calling him. Without missing a beat, Akira accepted the call and put the phone up to his ear.

“Hello beautiful,” Akira sensually whispered immediately before Sumire could say anything. 

“H-hi S-Senpai!” Sumire exclaimed back, unwittingly rewarding Akira with the fluster that he loved so much. Akira’s smile grew bigger as he imagined her face beet red from his one comment before returning his attention back to his girlfriend. 

“So, what’s up?” Akira asked, already knowing the answer but still wanting to tease a little bit more.

“Did you already forget?” Sumire whined. “You were supposed to show me your room and campus today, Senpai!”

Akira chuckled in response, shaking his head despite Sumire not able to see him. “I was just teasing, Sumi. Of course I remember!” he lightly exclaimed, the perfect image of Sumire pouting in his mind.

“Senpai! That’s not nice!” Sumire nearly shouted into his ear, causing Akira to wince slightly but he still kept his grin.

“I know, I couldn’t help myself,” Akira explained, the image of Sumire pouting still in his mind. “Anyways, should I come pick you up?” 

“Actually I’m already in the parking lot,” Sumire said timidly to Akira’s surprise. Before he could ask why, Sumire continued on. “When I told my parents about meeting with you today my dad offered to drop me off, and since you gave me your address he found his way fairly easily.”

“I’ll come let you in then!” Akira exclaimed, practically jumping off his bed and hurriedly walking out of his apartment, making sure to lock it as he left. “I’ll see you in under a minute, Sumi!” After finishing, Akira hung up the phone and nearly sprinted towards the staircase.

Akira and Ryuji were living on the fifth floor of the apartment complex, which had ten floors. Due to the apartment complex being owned by Okumura Foods, the rest of the renters that Akira and Ryuji had seen all looked like wealthy business men and women. As Akira ran down the staircase he received a few glares from those wealthy people walking up the stairs, but he ignored them as his heart and mind raced. Even though they had been going out for just over two years now, he always got excited when he and Sumire would hang out.

Akira rushed out of the stairwell and into the main hallway of the apartment complex. Three heads flew over towards his direction from the receptionist desk towards the end of the hallway in surprisement. One of the three women tried to say hello to Akira, who simply smiled at her as he slowed down to a quickened walking pace. His attention quickly went towards the glass doors at the end of the hallway as he saw two familiar figures blurred slightly by the glass, and he quickened his pace even more. 

Upon Akira reaching the door, the two figures turned their heads from one another and towards Akira as he grabbed the handle and almost flung it open. 

“Eep!” Sumire squeaked cutely as she was suddenly face to face with her boyfriend. She and Shinichi had seen him rapidly approaching, but neither of them expected Akira to appear so suddenly. Akira looked directly at Sumire; she was wearing her usual blue shirt with polka dots with a longer white skirt than usual. She was also wearing her normal black flats, along with having her hair down and glasses on. Akira kept his eyes on her as he moved his head next to her ear.

“Finally, I can see my beautiful girlfriend in person again,” Akira whispered sensually, sending chills down Sumire’s back as her face flushed a deep red. Shinichi merely smiled as Akira wrapped his arms around his daughter’s waist and pulled her in for a hug.

“You do know you saw her last week, right Akira?” Shinichi lightfully teased Akira, who moved his head to look at the older man innocently. He was wearing a plain black shirt with a red coat overtop, his black pants and red glasses completing his normal look.

“That’s way too long for me for me not to see her!” Akira exclaimed, a fake look of shock on his face. Sumire shook for a moment at Akira’s words, only Akira noticed and instantly felt his stomach turn. 

Shinichi noticed the sudden mood shift from the two.“Well, I’ll leave you two to yourselves,” Shinichi said, turning his back on the couple before turning his head towards them, meeting Akira’s eyes and smiling. With a nod, Shinichi fully turned and walked to his car. 

Akira, with Sumire still clinging onto him, made his way back into the apartment complex. He mostly ignored the clerks “Welcome back!”s, only giving them a nod as he led Sumire to the elevator. The two stood in silence with Sumire still holding Akira close as the elevator rose up to the fifth floor, their ride uninterrupted as Akira felt the knot in his stomach grow bigger. The ride felt like it took an eternity, but the two reached the fifth floor at which Akira led Sumire to his and Ryuji’s apartment.

As the door closed behind the two, Akira lightly pushed Sumire away from him. A shocked and hurt expression crossed her face before Akira knelt down in front of her, reaching up to take her hands. Sumire looked down at him, shock being the only thing she felt as she saw tears forming in his own eyes. “Sumire, how can I apologize for what I did to you?” Akira’s voice barely reached Sumire’s ears, his voice shaking with realization and pain. 

“A-Akira?” Sumire stuttered, stunned at the sudden vulnerability Akira was showing.

“I… I betrayed my word to you… That I wouldn’t leave you alone…” Akira wept as his entire body shook with grief, his tears creating a miniature puddle on the floor. “It’s been eating away at me for all this time, but life has been non-stop since I return- Dammit! I’m just making excuses!” Akira weakly slammed his fists onto the floor, small cracks forming underneath them. Sumire’s eyes widened at this; she was concerned about Akira causing more damage, but more worried about his mental wellbeing. 

Kneeling down, Sumire reached out to her boyfriend and gently brought his eyes up to hers. She gave him a warm smile, brushing the tears away from his eyes as she stared lovingly into his watery orbs. Then, without wasting another moment, she wrapped one arm around his torso and another around his head and brought him into her body. Akira didn’t struggle as Sumire rested his head on her shoulder, tears continuing to fall as she lightly stroked his hair.

“Akira…” Sumire began, squeezing Akira tighter as she heard her voice beginning to shake. “I missed you so much. After you left, I didn’t know what to do; I was hurt, sad, and alone. But now,” Sumire paused, tears forming in her own eyes. “now you’re here, alive and well. I couldn’t ask for a better apology.” 

Akira stared at Sumire, his own tears blurring his vision but he could still see Sumire’s beaming smile and the world felt as if it had come to a stop. However, no otherworldly voice spoke within his mind; instead, he only felt the Faith Arcana within him swell above all the other Arcana. From the sea of his bonds also came the Fool Arcana, rising with the Faith as the two danced with each other within his chest.

Akira grinned as time resumed as normally before returning his attention back to Sumire. “I’m the luckiest man alive.” He couldn’t say anything else, his chin resting comfortably on Sumire’s shoulder as she lightly stroked his hair. Words couldn’t place the emotions he felt for the woman in front of him.

Five minutes passed, Sumire’s soothing grasp around Akira the only thing his mind focused on as she lightly swayed them back and forth. “We spent all that time on sappy stuff, I haven’t even shown you around the apartment yet,” Akira said as he finally backed away from Sumire, her heart sinking slightly as he did so, but she readily took his hand with a gentle smile as he got to his feet. Akira, with Sumire’s hand in his, turned and led her around the apartment. On top of the three bedrooms, the bathroom, and the general living space, there was also a miniature kitchen that was connected with the living room with a stove, an oven, and two medium sized cabinets.

As the two walked from the living room, which was still pretty bare, towards the hallway, the first thing Sumire noticed was that there were four doors. She also noticed that two of the doors were to Akira’s and Ryuji’s rooms and that the one next to Ryuji’s was the bathroom, but was still confused by the fourth room at the end of the hallway.

“Oh, that room is just an extra bedroom,” Akira explained, noticing the clear confusion on Sumire’s face. “We’ll probably just use it for storage or something like that.” Sumire’s mind immediately began to race, barely listening to Akira. ‘Could I live here with Senpai?’ was one of the more prevalent thoughts in her mind. She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn’t realize that Akira had stopped talking and was now lightly tugging on her sleeve, a look of concentration on his face that she didn’t notice.

“Sumi? Are you okay?” Akira asked, a slight amount of concern in his voice and on his face as he turned to face her. Sumire snapped out of her daze, her face suddenly lighting up in embarrassment.

“U-uh, y-ye-yes! I-I’m fine, S-Senpai!” Sumire stuttered, her face turning a darker shade of red with every passing second. Akira looked down at her in surprise, noticing that her gaze wasn’t on him so he followed it and grinned as he relaxed his body. Everything clicked in his mind as he returned his attention back to his embarrassed girlfriend, who’s embarrassment quickly turned to mortification as she saw the grin on Akira’s face.

“Were you thinking about living here with us, Sumi?” Akira asked innocently but his face said something very different as he turned his body to face Sumire fully. Panic fully set in for Sumire at being read so easily as she began to look anywhere but at Akira. Akira chuckled at her as he calmly put his hand onto her shoulder, causing her to freeze. However, despite her embarrassment, her heart began to steady itself. Eventually she was able to look into his eyes and nod slowly, the redness on her cheeks still ever present.

“Y-yes, it crossed my mind when you said you had a spare room… That I want to live with you, Akira!” Sumire suddenly exclaimed, staring directly into Akira’s eyes. She quickly realized what she said as Akira’s eyes widened, but she stayed strong and kept her attention on him. Akira noticed her strength and smiled, closing his eyes for a few seconds in apparent thought before reopening them.

“I would love to live with you, Sumi,” Akira began, his kind eyes staring straight into Sumire’s. “However, you still have your last year of highschool to worry about. It also wouldn’t feel right for me to take you away from your parents so soon,” Akira quickly added on upon noticing the disappointment in Sumire’s eyes. She looked back up at him, scrunching her face up in confusion.

“What do you mean by that, Senpai?” Sumire asked, her mind racing to find an answer.

“Well, we’re going to get married eventually, so we’ll live with each other then,” Akira responded nonchalantly, holding a neutral expression on his face as he saw Sumire’s eyes slowly widening at his words.

“S-Senpai…” Sumire breathed out, staring unbelieving at the man in front of her. Akira smiled down at his frozen girlfriend and kissed her briefly, pulling back with a desire to see her even more flustered. However, Sumire quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him back in for a deep, sensual kiss. It was Akira’s turn to be surprised as his own eyes widened in shock, a dust of pink appearing on his cheeks from the sudden act from Sumire. His surprise melted as he relaxed his body and wrapped his arms around Sumire’s waist, pulling her even closer to him.

“Akira… I love you, so much,” Sumire whispered as she broke from the kiss, staring dreamily into Akira’s eyes.

“Sumi… I love you more,” Akira whispered back with a grin.

“Is that a challenge?” Sumire playfully retorted as she hugged Akira closely, resting her head in the center of his chest. “Here’s my love for you, Akir- Ah!”

Sumire was quickly swept off her feet by Akira and into a bridal carry, her face lighting up again. “And here is my love for you, my dear princess,” Akira started as he entered his room. Sumire’s eyes widened once again as they darted to Akira’s freshly made bed, beginning to panic again.

“A-Akira, we can’t do that!” Sumire protested, trying to escape from Akira’s clutches but to no avail. Akira looked at her in genuine confusion before fully realizing what she meant and began chuckling, the chuckling quickly turning into laughter as he threw his head backwards. “Se-Senpai?”

“Why can’t we just cuddle, Sumi?” Akira eventually asked after his laughing fit subsided, grinning down at an embarrassed Sumire.

“O-oh…” Sumire stuttered, her entire body relaxing at Akira’s words. Akira desperately wanted to tease her more, but he figured that Sumire was nearly at her limit and needed a break so he left it at that. Walking towards the bed, Akira gently placed Sumire onto the bed, quickly climbing in next to her and wrapping his arm around her body. Sumire, despite the immense embarrassment of her misunderstanding, pressed into Akira’s body, feeling warm and safe within his arms. She laid her head on Akira’s chest, feeling his steady heartbeat quicken as she did so and smiled.

‘Senpai really does want to marry me,’Sumire thought dreamily as Akira ran his hand through her red hair, sending chills down her back every time he did so. 

_ “My dear dancer, he already told you once before,” _ Ella echoed within Sumire, with the redhead smiling inward.

“What are you grinning about?” Akira playfully poked Sumire’s forehead; apparently it wasn’t inward.

“U-uh… I-I was… uhhhh…” Sumire stuttered, being completely caught off guard. However, she felt a calmness come from within her spread throughout her body, specifically coming from Ella. She took a deep breath in, two sets of smiles coming from her inner self and Akira as the latter waited patiently for her to calm down. “I was talking with Ella,” Sumire eventually said after a minute of calming herself down.

“About what?” Akira asked, genuine interest filling his voice. 

“About how you were serious about mar...rying me…” Sumire began strong before realizing halfway through what she was saying, muttering the final part of the sentence. Her cheeks glowed bright pink, expecting a chuckle and some teasing from Akira. However, she felt her body get even closer to Akira’s as he pulled her in. She looked up only to see Akira’s kind, serious face. 

“Sumire Yoshizawa, I love you and you alone,” Akira firmly stated, staring deep into Sumire’s eyes as she could only listen. “When I say that I’m going to marry you, I mean it from the bottom of my heart. Nothing could ever change my mind.”

Sumire blinked once, then twice as she stared at the seriousness in Akira’s eyes and felt her entire body loosen as if a weight was taken off her body. “Akira…” Sumire whispered, not able to get her voice any louder. “I… I can’t wait for that day, Akira!” she suddenly exclaimed, her eyes full of excitement as she hugged Akira as tight as she could. Akira smiled as he returned the hug. 

The couple could feel each other’s heart’s beating together, both of them having content smiles on their faces. However, the conversation reminded Sumire of something, so she pushed back from Akira and sat up, Akira following suit.The black haired teen looked at his girlfriend with a slight frown as she stared concernedly at him.

“Senpai, are you okay?” Sumire asked, only making Akira even more confused.

“Of course I’m okay! As long as I’m with you, I’ll always be o-” Akira began.

“No, I mean is everything okay? About what we talked about last week, I mean,” Sumire cut him off, her face growing even more serious. Akira closed his eyes; he knew she was talking about his parents, and he let out a sigh. 

“No, things have only gotten worse since I’ve come back,” Akira eventually responded, gritting his teeth as he forced himself to continue. “When I got back around a month back, they barely even noticed that I was gone. I considered and even brought up moving out before going to University, but they said they needed me home to do chores.” Akira stopped, gritting his teeth at just the memory of his parents. Sumire wanted to comfort him, but knew that he needed to finish before helping him. “I told Sojiro about it that night, and he actually called them. I listened in, and heard them say that if he cared so much then why did he throw me into that attic. I… I can’t stand them, Sumire…” Akira gritted his teeth even more, but there were no tears falling from his face.

“Akira…” Sumire muttered as she saw the determination in his eyes.

“Now that I’m back here, this is my new beginning,” Akira firmly stated, his face softening into a smile. “Things were always going to turn out like this.”

“Wait, what about Mementos?” Sumire suddenly asked, her face lighting up. However, Akira shook his head, his smile still on his face.

“They do have shadows, but… I found my true family here,” Akira said, staring directly at Sumire. “I’m only going to change people’s hearts if they are a danger to others; my parents aren’t a danger to anyone right now.”

“I understand, Akira,” Sumire nodded, a slight amount of guilt still within her that she couldn’t do any more for Akira. However, she knew that this was his decision, and seeing him determined to continue forward, with or without his parents, made her confident that he would be okay. “I’ll be here for you, forever and always.”

“I’ll hold you to that, Sumire,” Akira smiled before kissing Sumire again on the forehead, bringing his head back again for the two to share a smile. However, Akira’s face lit up in shock and worry as he pulled out his phone; it was 6:00 p.m. “Oh crap, it’s getting late! We should probably go right now if you still want to see the campus!”

Sumire stared unbelieving at Akira for a second before giggling, much to Akira’s confusion. “It always amazes me how you’re able to change the subject so fast, Akira,” Sumire continued to giggle.

“Well, I do have the power of the wild card, so I have practice,” Akira jokingly responded, chuckling himself before returning his attention back to his phone. “No, but we should actually get going right now if you want to see the campus still.” Akira slid off the bed, a slight amount of disappointment filling Sumire as he did so but she followed suit. 

Hand in hand, the two left the apartment with Akira locking it behind him, and made their way to the stairs. They made their way out of the building, saying goodbye to the three women at the front desk as the couple walked over to Akira’s car. Akira opened the passenger’s side door and playfully bowed, Sumire playing along as she curtsied and got into the car. Akira gently closed the door as he swiftly moved over to the driver’s side and got in as well. 

“So Senpai, what do you think of the campus?” Sumire asked as Akira pulled out of the parking lot and began driving towards the University of Tokyo.

“It’s pretty big, I’ll say that,” Akira responded, keeping his eyes on the road. He would have taken the subway, but he knew that it would have been busy today due to school starting soon and wanted to talk with Sumire without the noise. Sumire kept her eyes on Akira as he explained the campus to her. “The academic buildings are all easy to find which is great, along with the fact that the actual classrooms are set up to encourage discussion. I’m pretty excited to learn here, actually.” Sumire smiled at her boyfriend; she loved that he was being so open now.

“I’m glad to hear that, Akira,” Sumire responded. Akira flashed a smile at her before returning his attention back to the road, turning into a parking garage. It took awhile for him to find a spot, but he eventually found one and both he and Sumire got out of the car.

“Alright, we’re here!” Akira announced as he and Sumire, hand in hand again, stepped out of the parking garage and into the quickly setting sunlight. They had driven past some of the campus on their way to the parking garage, but being out of the car and seeing the giant dorm and academic buildings close and far off was overwhelming for Sumire as she scanned their immediate surroundings. It didn’t help that there were a large number of people quickly walking around them, making Sumire cling tightly to Akira instinctively. 

Akira smiled softly at Sumire, letting her stay clinging to him as he led her towards the center of campus. On their way there, Sumire loosened up as she saw Akira casually walking through the crowd of people, a smile on his face as he began explaining each building to Sumire. She eventually forgot about her nerves, completely entranced by Akira and the excitement on his face.

“And here is the Yasuda Auditorium!” Akira exclaimed as he and Sumire stopped in front of a giant building. Sumire stared up at the domed building in awe as Akira continued on. “This is where the first years started our orientation two days ago, but it also has a common area for students to hang out. Do you want to go inside, Sumire?” Akira asked, looking over at his girlfriend who was still staring in awe. “Sumire?” he questioned again, turning his body after not receiving a response. The girl in question suddenly jolted back to reality, shock in her eyes as she looked around wildly before her eyes landed on Akira.

“Y-yes!” she stuttered, her voice raised from the shock and drawing the attention of the other students. Akira smiled as he led her by the hand towards the entrance, but noticed a group of three male students still staring at him and Sumire whispering to each other and listened in on their conversation.

“Hey, isn’t that Sumire Yoshizawa?” one of them asked, receiving a nod from another person.

“Yeah, she won the National Meet earlier this year! Man is she cuter in person!” the third chimed in. Akira gritted his teeth as he felt his blood boil slightly, but Sumire didn’t notice it as they continued walking. 

“I would love to have a shot at her, but she has her stupid boyfriend with her,” the first guy moaned. “I bet I could take him on and win her heart in just about anythi-” the guy continued on, but cut himself off as a gust of wind threatened to knock the three over. They all looked around before looking back at Akira and Sumire, the former of whom was staring directly at them. However, his eyes were pulsing red and black, a demonic energy emanating from them. None of the three could say anything as Akira mouthed “Run” at them, all of them complying as a wet spot formed around the first guy’s crotch.

“Akira? What are you smiling about?” Sumire asked innocently as Akira quickly reigned in Raoul, returning himself back to normal as he and Sumire climbed up the stairs to the Auditorium.

“Nothing much, just happy to be spending time with you!” Akira lightly teased, causing a slight blush to form on Sumire’s face.

“Me too, Akira,” Sumire responded, blissfully ignorant of what just occurred much to Akira’s relief as he let go of Sumire’s hand and opened the door to the building. Sumire happily walked inside, Akira quickly following behind her and retaking her hand in his. Again, Sumire was in complete awe from the size of the inside of the building, her eyes landing on the large mural on the wall opposite of the entrance. It was composed of athletes from all the different sports, scientists, and many other academic figures. 

“Wow…” Sumire breathed out, her attention fixated on the mural while Akira smiled at her. After a few seconds of admiration, Akira led Sumire to the common area he spoke of earlier. 

“This is where students go to meet up, to grab something to eat, or just to unwind,” Akira informed Sumire as they made their way to an open table. “So, what do you think of campus so far?” 

“It’s… overwhelming, to be honest,” Sumire said, slightly taken aback. “But it’s also amazing!”

“Well, I’m glad that you like it here,” Akira chuckled as Sumire beamed at him.

“That should be my line!” Sumire exclaimed. “You’re the one coming here after all.”

“Fair,” Akira replied, nodding with a smile on his face. 

The two passed the time as they got some food from the nearby cafeteria, which was actually part of the giant room, along with some small talk when Akira looked down at his phone for the time.

“It’s 7:30 right now, which means Ryuji is going to be done pretty soon. Do you want to go say hi and see the end of his practice?” Akira asked Sumire, whose face lit up instantly in excitement.

“I would love that!” Sumire happily exclaimed. Akira smiled as he put away his phone and quickly finished the rest of his food, Sumire doing the same before the couple walked towards the entrance of the building. They threw away their trash on their way out of the common area and left the Yasuda Auditorium. The sun was still above the horizon, but it was getting darker out as the lights around the campus turned on. Sumire took Akira’s hand and allowed him to lead her towards the Gotenshita Athletic Field, where the track was. 

The walk to the field was short, only taking two minutes to reach it. The field itself wasn’t anything special, but the track running around it was in great condition. Akira and Sumire noticed that there were some people watching the practice and followed where their bodies were facing and noticed eight people lined up. 

“Come on, Senpai!” Sumire suddenly exclaimed, practically dragging Akira behind her as she ran up to watch the race. Akira smiled at his girlfriend’s excitement as they integrated into the small crowd of spectators and began looking at the eight people lined up, realizing the person in lane four. 

“Get Set!” A bald man shouted with a whistle in his hand. Akira saw that he was well built, wearing khakis and a red polo before noticing the stern look in the man’s eyes. However, his attention shifted from him as the man blew the whistle and the sprinters shot off the blocks. The rest of the people standing around the balm man cheered as the eight people raced past them, but Akira and Sumire were intently watching Ryuji as he was neck and neck with the person in lane one. They were halfway down the straight when Ryuji broke out in front of the other man, getting into full stride as he steadily made a lead for himself. 

‘Nice work, Ryuji,’ Akira said internally, smirking as Ryuji began slowing down after crossing the line at the end of the straight. There were eight people at the other side, all with stopwatches, and one of them looked stunned at his watch. Akira couldn’t hear what the man said as the rest of the racers finished and came to a stop, but did see everyone stare at Ryuji in stunned silence before they all crowded around Ryuji. 

“Here, let’s go make our way over to them,” Akira told Sumire, leading her over towards the Track team but still staying off the field.

“Dude, ten seconds flat? That’s insanely close to the school record!” one of Ryuji’s teammates, the one that kept up with Ryuji for half the race, shouted. Ryuji rubbed the back of his head as he grinned at his amazed teammates. 

“Did you hear that, Senpai? Ryuji almost broke the record here!” Sumire happily exclaimed as they moved away from the field to wait for Ryuji to finish with practice.

“Yeah, he’s really amazing,” Akira pridefully responded, his eyes on Ryuji’s grinning face as he and the rest of the team listened to their coach. However, he saw everyone frown and even some members begin to panic after their coach finished talking, releasing them all for the day. 

“Let’s go see him!” Sumire, before Akira could say anything, began running towards Ryuji, waving her hand at him. “Ryuji! You were amazing!” Ryuji looked around for a second before his eyes landed on Sumire and Akira close behind her and his frown instantly turned into a huge grin.

“Thanks Sumire! And Akira, I didn’t know you guys were going to come here!” Ryuji exclaimed as the couple stopped in front of him.

“Well, I wanted to surprise you at your first practice, but look at you, man! Almost breaking not only the school record, but also the Japanese record!” Akira excitedly said, punching Ryuji in the shoulder but making sure to hold back. 

“Thanks! I’m just happy that all that work I put in was worth it,” Ryuji sighed, a grin still on his face as his body loosened up. Akira suddenly remembered something and opened his mouth, but was cut off by the bald man approaching Ryuji.

“Ryuji, I see you’re already doing what I asked everyone to do!” the coach exclaimed, a happy look on his otherwise stern face. Akira frowned as Ryuji quickly returned his attention back to him, a sheepish grin on his face. ‘Oh god, what did he do?’ Akira thought internally, bracing himself for the worst case scenario.

“Hey Akira, how would you like to do long jump for the Track and Field team?” Ryuji asked. Akira stared at his best friend, blinking slowly and meticulously as he tried working his mind through what he just suggested.

“Wh-what?” Akira stuttered, needing more information as his mind raced. To his surprise, the coach let out a cough to draw his attention.

“First off, hello Akira. My name is Kane Fukuda, one of the coaches of the Track and Field team,” Kane introduced himself, bowing slightly towards Akira who, still stunned, did the same. “To be blunt, we need jumpers for the Long Jump. All of our jumpers either quit or are studying abroad for this season, and for some reason they all didn’t tell us until it was too late. We have no one left, so I beg you, please join us!”

Akira’s eyes shot open even wider in shock; this man he just met is begging him to join the team. Feeling a squeeze from Sumire’s hand, Akira moved his attention to her and saw her eyes saying “Do it, Akira!”. ‘Shit…’ Akira cursed inwardly as he saw Ryuji having clapped his hands together and even more of the Track team looking over at them. 

“Alright, when do I start?” Akira sighed again, giving in to everyone’s delight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here we are! Finally posting chapter 1 of my new fic, but not just Chapter 1 but Part 1: Chapter 1! This first part will focus on Ryuji's(and now Akira's) journey in Track and Field, and now Akira has to deal with being the only person part of the Long Jump team(wish him luck with that). I would like to thank you all for your patience, and hope you enjoy this new journey!


	2. Showing Your New Colors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I won't be using the summary for much; basically only when a new part comes. Assume this is all part 1 until I say otherwise

“I can’t believe it…” Akira sighed as he slumped into the couch, pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation. “How the hell did I get wrapped in this?” The teen was alone in the living room while Ryuji was in the bathroom taking a shower. After accepting to be a part of the Track team as a long jumper, Akira gave Coach Fukuda his contact information and was told that he was actually the long jump coach and that the sprinting coach couldn’t make practice. 

_ ‘I believe this is a good opportunity, Akira,’ _ Raoul echoed within Akira’s mind as the black haired teen sunk further into the couch. 

“And how’s that, Raoul?” Akira asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

_ ‘You did mention earlier today about controlling yourself; this long jump may very well be a way to gain that control,’ _ Raoul responded. Akira let out another sigh, his irritation fading from Raoul’s reasoning and calm tone of voice.

“Fine, you win,” Akira begrudgingly admitted, crossing his arms as he closed his eyes. “I’ll need to control the Will of the Masses so I don’t bring attention to myself…” Akira thought aloud when his eyes flew open again as Ryuji came out of the bathroom.

“Dude, you talking to yourself?” Ryuji jokingly asked, his hair still wet from his shower while only wearing a towel. 

“Nah, I’m talking with Raoul,” Akira responded nonchalantly, not expecting the surprise on his best friend’s face.

“Your persona?” Ryuji nearly shouted his question.

“Ah shit, I forgot that you guys don’t know,” Akira said as he rubbed the back of his neck. A sheepish grin formed on his face as he stood up from his spot on the couch and turned towards Ryuji and began explaining that when he fused with Raoul, he and his persona became one complete being.

“So… he’s like another voice in your head?” Ryuji asked, a deep frown on his face as he tried making sense of it all.

“If that helps you understand it, then yeah,” Akira responded, him and Raoul grinning at each other as the blonde violently shook his head.

“Man, even after all this time, I still don’t understand how these things work!” Ryuji exclaimed, slumping his shoulders and lowering his head in defeat as he let out a sigh. Akira chuckled as he walked up to Ryuji and lightly patted him on the bare shoulder. Ryuji tensed up as Akira’s hand made contact, but he relaxed as he felt just a light slap.

“Dude, don’t worry about that,” Akira reassured Ryuji as the blonde looked back up. “It's going to be a while until I can fully control this power, but I can get it under control for a few seconds at a time for now.”

“Man, you’re gonna kill everyone at long jump!” Ryuji exclaimed, his nerves turning into excitement in an instant. Akira, despite Ryuji’s bubbling excitement, shook his head and let out a sigh.

“I can’t use this power for long jump, Ryuji…” Akira sighed. Ryuji’s excitement faded as quickly as it came as he calmed down, allowing Akira to continue. “I don’t want to stand out too much, along with the fact that I’m still not sure if those shadows that appeared on Christmas day was entirely because of Erebus.”

“Now that we have time, what do you mean by that Akira?” Ryuji asked. Akira took a second to collect his thoughts.

“Well, they appeared before everything went to hell, and along with the fact that they appeared near Leblanc, I feel like it may have been partially my fault,” Akira explained, wincing slightly and kicking himself internally for scaring off those three earlier in the day.

“Akira, you good?” Ryuji asked, his intrigue shifting into concern as he saw Akira frown. ‘And apparently I’m getting worse at hiding my emotions now…’ Akira groaned internally.

“Yeah, just remembered that I scared off some punks staring and whispering about Sumire,” Akira informed the blonde, his right eye twitching from just remembering it.

“Ah, that makes sense,” Ryuji nodded, noticing Akira’s eye twitching, and his body shook slightly. “Well, I’m sure those guys know better now.” Akira saw the fear on Ryuji’s face, even though it was barely noticeable, and took a deep breath in.

“One of them pissed their pants, so I think you're right,” Akira said with a smirk, his face easing up as he remembered the three running away. Ryuji let out a sigh upon seeing Akira return to normal for the most part. 

“Damn dude, you really don’t screw around when it comes to Sumire, huh?” Ryuji jokingly asked, hoping to lighten the mood even further. However, Akira’s eyes darkened even further as he glared at Ryuji, causing the blonde to freeze up. He walked towards Ryuji, each step slow and meticulous before stopping just in front of the frozen teen. Then, without warning, his entire face lit up as he smiled warmly at his scared friend.

“You’ll understand one day, Ryuji,” Akira reassured his friend, who shakily moved his head to face Akira’s. His best friend’s words slowly sunk in as his face scrunched up into a frown.

“What do you mean by that?” Ryuji asked, Akira already turned around and walked back to the couch to grab his bag. Silence filled the room as Akira bent down slowly, clearly on purpose, to pick up his leather bag along with a plastic bag that held the pair of spikes his coach had given him. A grin formed on his face as he could feel Ryuji’s unease, straightening his back and turning towards the hallway.

“Akira! What do you mean by that?” Ryuji asked again, confusion mixed with unease as he took a hesitant step towards Akira. The black haired teen stopped in place as he turned around, his grin growing larger with his eyes glittering with deviousness that sent a chill down Ryuji’s spine.

“We both know that I’m talking about Ann, Ryuji,” Akira replied normally, but his grin only grew wider as Ryuji threw up his hands in front of him to protest.

“Wh-what the hell are you talking about?” Ryuji nearly shouted at Akira.

“Come on, Ryuji. We all know that you two like each other,” Akira, again, replied nonchalantly, turning his back and began walking towards his room. Ryuji basically ran towards his former leader, his cheeks flushing a light pink as he did so.

“Akira!” Ryuji exclaimed, causing the teen to stop right in front of his room and look back at the now flustered blonde with an innocent look on his face. “I-I don’t like Ann!” Ryuji said, stumbling over his words.

“Then why are you blushing right now?” Akira shot back, his face entirely even but there was a sparkle in his eyes. Ryuji stared in disbelief at his best friend, finally realizing how fast his heart was racing when an image of Ann appeared in his mind. It was just her in Inokashira Park wearing a pair of black short shorts and a blue and white blouse calmly walking around, but he felt his heart stop for a moment. 

Akira noticed the blank look on Ryuji’s face and grinned at his best friend as Ryuji shook his head violently, his blush deepening. “You want to tell me what that was?” Akira questioned his blonde friend, unable to hold back the smug grin as Ryuji’s eyes widened slightly in panic. He opened and closed his mouth numerous times, no words coming out as Akira’s grin only grew wider as he fully turned and took a step towards Ryuji. He took another step towards the panicking blonde, stopping at Ryuji’s shoulder as he gently laid a hand on said shoulder. 

“Akira?” Ryuji asked, his embarrassment masked by confusion as his former leader’s face became serious. Akira lifted his eyes to meet Ryuji’s and let a smile across his face.

“Ryuji, just be honest with yourself,” was all Akira said as he lightly patted Ryuji’s shoulder, the same look of concentration on his face as he did before turning around on his heels and walked into his room. Ryuji stood there stunned as he watched Akira enter into his room, not another word spoken between the two as he was left with only his own thoughts. 

‘D-do I like Ann?’ Ryuji thought to himself; his mind was screaming no, but his heart was telling him something else as it continued beating faster and faster. 

_ ‘R… do… e de…’ _

“Huh?” Ryuji shot his head back and frantically looked around the room, but there was no one. “What the hell was that?” Ryuji questioned himself before shaking his head. “Ah screw it! I gotta get to bed!” With one final look around the apartment, Ryuji walked quickly towards his room. As he opened his door, he looked back at Akira’s closed door; he knew deep down that Akira was right.

Akira smiled as he sat down on his bed, pulling out his phone and immediately opening his and Sumire’s text conversation.

_ Hey Sumi, what do you think about Ann and Ryuji being together? _

_ I think they would be perfect for each other! But why do you ask, Senpai? _

_ Well, we were talking about my love for you and I found a perfect opportunity to bring it up. _

Akira smiled as he saw ‘...’ on his screen, signifying that Sumire was typing; he knew that she was beet red from his text.

_ Akira, don’t say things like that! It’s not good for my heart! _

_ We’ve been going out for how long now Sumire? I’m not going to stop anytime soon, so you’ll have to get used to it. _

_ I don’t think that’s possible… Even after two years of being your girlfriend, I still get butterflies in my stomach just thinking about you. _

Akira’s smile grew wider as he typed out his response.

_ What a coincidence; me too. _

_ Really?  _

_ Of course Sumire! Just the thought of you makes my heart beat faster. _

Sumire’s hands were shaking as she read Akira’s last text. ‘Why am I shaking so much right now?’ she thought to herself, her cheeks pink from Akira’s flirting. 

_ That makes me happy, Akira. _

_ You make me happy, Sumire. _

Sumire’s phone was shaking even more, her heart beating faster and faster. ‘I should be used to this by now!’ Sumire scolded herself as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath to try and calm herself down. Her hands stopped shaking as her heart rate slowed, so Sumire reopened her eyes to see another text from Akira.

_ Back to the original topic, I want your help with Ryuji and Ann. _

_ Are you trying to set them up, Senpai? _

_ That’s exactly what I’m doing. After seeing Ryuji’s reaction, I knew that my gut feeling was right. They’ve been my closest friends since my arrest(besides you) and I want them to be happy. _

_ That’s so sweet, Akira! I’ll try and help in any way I can! _

_ That means the world to me, Sumire! Thank you so much! I’ll call you tomorrow so we can form a plan. _

With that, Sumire put her phone onto her nightstand next to her bed and immediately felt a pang of loneliness.

_ ‘Even after all this time, you still hold on to this selfishness?’  _ Ella remarked within Sumire, an amused and even playful tone in her voice. Sumire smiled as she nodded her head.

“You’re me, Ella. You know how important he is to us,” Sumire responded, receiving a giggle from her inner self.

_ ‘Quite right you are, Sumire,’  _ Ella continued to giggle as she faded back into Sumire’s subconscious. The redhead kept her smile as she laid down on her bed and fell asleep, Akira doing the same in his own room.

* * *

“Alright, Akira! Are you ready to begin?” Coach Fukuda asked Akira with passion in his voice as the teen had just finished his warm ups with the rest of the team. They were extremely easy for Akira; doing two laps around the track and then some stretches. Akira tried to contain the Will of the Masses’ power for it, but found that just holding it back for even five seconds proved too much for him mentally. He would slow down as he tried to hold back, falling to the middle of the pack as he concentrated inward, but then would find himself a good five meters in front of everyone the very next moment as he lost his concentration. Akira received numerous surprised looks from everyone on the team; in fact, Ryuji was the only one who wasn’t shocked as Akira overtook everyone with ease. 

‘I’ll just bring it back a little bit and work up to it,’ Akira thought to himself before bringing himself back to reality. “Yeah, I’m ready!”

“Good!” Coach Fukuda exclaimed as he and Akira made their way towards the long jump pit. “So, Ryuji told me that you have some experience in this. Is that true?” he asked as he turned and stopped just next to the pit.

“I was a part of my Track team in Middle School, so I know the basics,” Akira replied. Coach Fukuda nodded, a slight amount of worry in his eyes that Akira felt was justified. However, he spent last night after talking with Sumire looking at and studying the long jump, getting back up to speed on the technique.

“Alright, let’s see what you’ve got! Do I need to explain the setup?” Coach Fukuda questioned, relief showing on his face as Akira firmly shook his head. The teen walked over to the runway, taking a best guess at where he would need to start to reach top speed. 

‘Five rights should be good enough,’ Akira thought to himself as he stopped at his desired spot on the runway, reflecting inward as he took a deep breath in. He closed his eyes as he did so, pulling back his godly powers as much as he could so that he could hold it without trouble. ‘That much, huh? Well it's a start…’ Taking one final deep breath, Akira leaned backwards and sprung off his right foot faster. 

“Whoa!” Coach Fukuda shouted, not expecting the speed at which Akira would take off as the teen sprinted past him. He kept a close eye on the board as Akira rocked on his right foot, the step larger than the previous ones as Akira prepared to take off. His left foot barely hit the board, only the front parts of his spikes on it as Akira continued the rocking motion. Fukuda expected a lackluster jump, but was stunned as Akira soared through the air, shattering his expectations. However, the finish was less than stellar as Akira landed, falling backwards.

“Dammit…” Akira cursed under his breath as he jumped up onto his feet. Brushing the sand from the pit off himself, he looked around to see the entirety of the Track team staring at him in awe, including the coaches as well as Coach Fukuda. The head coach shook his head, blowing his whistle to get the runners attention again as the Throwing coach did the same as Fukuda walked towards Akira.

“Akira, are you sure that you haven’t jumped recently?” Fukuda asked, unsuccessfully attempting to mask his surprise.

“I haven’t had time to; highschool was busy and the Track team was disbanded when I got there,” Akira informed his coach. Fukuda stared at Akira blankly for a second before getting his measuring tool out and walking past Akira. Reaching where Akira had landed, Fukuda stuck the measuring tool into the closest point to the runway and his eyes bulged.

“7.6 meters…” Akira heard Coach Fukuda whisper to himself in disbelief as he walked over to where he was standing. “And there were still plenty of mistakes to improve on… just who the hell is this kid?” Fukuda looked up to see Akira walking towards him, cocking his head to the side slightly in curiosity.

“So how’d I do, coach?” Akira asked, already having heard his results and knowing his mistakes, but he wanted to hear it from Fukuda himself.

“That was an amazing jump, despite the obvious mistakes you made,” Fukuda replied, regaining his composure as he remembered he was a coach. “Now that I’ve seen that, let’s figure out your starting point, okay?” 

“Got it!” Akira exclaimed, feeling excited; he estimated that he was holding back around 75% of his strength, meaning that he achieved that result largely on his own merits. Coach Fukuda led Akira to the track, on the other side of where the runners were practicing and began the process of finding Akira’s start. 

After around 30 minutes of running, the two found the best place for Akira to start; around twenty meters from the sand pit. However, Akira didn’t go back to the runway again for the rest of practice, instead doing running and takeoff exercises, like skipping up and down the straight of the track, putting more power into his takeoff foot. 

By the end of practice, Fukuda and Akira had formed a decent relationship. To Akira it only felt natural since he was the only jumper and thus Fukuda gave him his sole attention, but it felt nice to have another person to rely on outside of his confidants. As Akira said his goodbye to Fukuda, he walked over to his sports bag towards the rest of the track team. While changing from his spikes into his normal clothes, Akira heard some not so quiet whispering around him.

“Hey, it’s that Akira guy.”

“Did you see him today during warmups? He doesn’t have to show off like that.”

“I don’t know man, did you see the concentration on his face? I don’t think he was trying to show off.”

Akira smiled at the last comment; at least some people were willing to stand up for him.

“But dude! Did you see his jump today? That was miles above even our best jumper last season!”

Akira’s ears perked up as he saw two blondes talking with each other, one of them being a familiar face. Ryuji caught Akira’s gaze and grinned as the guy he was talking to turned around, his own eyes lighting up as he saw him. The new person ran up to Akira, excitement clear on his face as Akira got up from the ground, now wearing his tennis shoes.

“Hey Akira, how’d practice go?” Ryuji nearly shouted at Akira despite being no more than five feet away from him.

“It was great. Coach Fukuda is a great person and coach!” Akira exclaimed, receiving a grin from Ryuji and a shocked look from the new person, which confused him.

“Wait, for real?” the new guy asked, reminding Akira very much of Ryuji.

“Yeah, why?” Akira questioned, his brow creasing into a frown.

“Well, I just heard from the former jumpers that Fukuda could be very… blunt and harsh sometimes,” the guy responded, fixing his composure slightly as he saw people staring at the three.

“I can tell that he has high standards, but I’m fine with being pushed to be my best,” Akira said with confidence. “In fact, I’d be disappointed if he didn’t try and push me as hard as he is.”

“Wow, no wonder why you’re already an amazing jumper…” the guy said in awe, Ryuji holding back a grin as Akira looked away as the new person stared at him with respect in his eyes. “Oh wait, I haven’t even introduced myself! My name is Doryo Aki!”

“Nice to meet you, Aki-kun,” Akira said, shaking hands with the blonde. 

“Just call me by my first name; we’re teammates after all!” Doryo exclaimed, still having the same excited look in his eyes.

“Alright, Doryo, but call me Akira, alright?” Akira responded, sharing a grin with his new friend. “By the way, you and Ryuji were talking earlier. Are you a runner?” 

“Yeah, I’m a short distance runner with Ryuji,” Doryo responded as they broke their handshake. “I’m also a first year, same as you guys. But man, you guys are something else.” Doryo looked over at Ryuji and nudged him in the ribs, the other blonde rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

Akira smiled at the two when he remembered that he was supposed to meet with Sumire an hour after practice and pulled out his phone from his bag; he had around thirty minutes left. “Hey Ryuji, Doryo, I have to go. I’ll see you guys later, okay?” Akira said as he put his phone away and waved behind at the two blondes. ‘Gotta get back, take a shower, and get changed… Sumire should be with Ann right now,’ Akira thought to himself as he got to his car and began the drive towards his apartment.

“Sumire! How are you doing?” Ann exclaimed as she saw Sumire approach her table at the diner, standing up to hug the girl.

“I’m doing good, Ann! How about you?” Sumire responded, breaking from the short hug with smiles on both their faces as they sat down.

“I’ve been hanging in there,” Ann replied as they sat down opposite each other, letting out a tired sigh; Sumire could see that she was exhausted.

“Ann, are you okay?” Sumire asked, concern in her voice as she leaned forward on the table. Ann looked up and waved off Sumire’s concern, flashing a reassuring smile in her direction.

“Oh, it's nothing Sumire,” Ann said, trying in vain to suppress a yawn. “It’s just that I’m swamped with a mix of University stuff and modelling, so sleep has kind of been a light hobby of mine, if that makes sense.” 

“Ann, you shouldn’t push yourself this hard,” Sumire lightly reprimanded her friend, to which Ann kept up her smile which grew weaker.

“I’ll be  _ yawn  _ fine,” Ann replied, yawning more and more, her head beginning to loll when she snapped it back straight. “Have you been hanging out with Akira? You’re starting to sound more like him.”

“H-huh?” Sumire stammered, a light blush forming on her cheeks to which Ann giggled at. “W-what do you mean, Ann?”

“You should know better than anyone that Akira cares about us more than anything,” Ann replied, sitting up in her seat as she stared Sumire directly in the eyes. “Even his own life…” The two girls fell silent at that, both looking down at the table as they recalled the events of last Christmas.

“Sorry about that…” Ann broke Sumire out of her thoughts, their eyes meeting as Sumire looked back up. “Let’s change the subject, kind of: How has Akira been?”

“He’s been doing great!” Sumire exclaimed, her body relaxing after taking a deep breath in. “He showed me around his campus yesterday, and it looks like he really likes it!”

“That’s great to hear!” Ann exclaimed in kind, relief breaking through her smiling face. “Has he joined any clubs?”

“Actually, we went to go see Ryuji after his practice, but it was still going when we got there,” Sumire replied, noticing a small reaction from Ann when she said Ryuji’s name and inwardly grinned; Akira was right. “Somehow the Track team doesn’t have any long jumpers, so Ryuji-” 

“Asked Akira to join the team and he said yes?” Ann finished Sumire’s sentence, an exasperated but amused look on her face. 

“You nailed it,” Sumire smiled, nodding as Ann grinned at the girl. 

“Those two guys… What are we going to do with them, Sumire?” Ann rhetorically questioned, shaking her head. ‘Now’s a perfect chance!’ Sumire thought to herself, letting a grin on her face before wiping it off as Ann brought her attention back to the redhead.

“What do you mean “we”, Ann? Are you telling me you like Ryuji?” Sumire asked, trying to hold a steady face as Ann suddenly lit up. Bingo.

“Wh-what are you saying, Sumire?!” Ann nearly shouted as she tried to get up, drawing the attention of everyone in the cafe. Ann’s face flushed an even deeper pink as she sat back down, the other customers returning back to their own conversations. 

“You said “what are we going to do with them”, signifying that we have similar relationships with the boys,” Sumire explained, unable to hold back her smirk any longer. “And since Akira and I are boyfriend and girlfriend, you must see yourself in a similar position with Ryuji, or at least want to be.” 

Ann was stunned silent by Sumire’s words, her pink cheeks turning a deep red as her heart began beating faster. Sumire sat back in her seat, satisfied with the reaction she elicited from Ann just as she felt a firm yet soft hand land on her shoulder. 

“Hey beautiful, you two having fun?” Akira asked, both Sumire and Ann looking up at him. He was wearing blue jeans and a red t-shirt; a surprisingly casual look for the former leader. Sumire’s face lit up with excitement as she moved over, making room for Akira as he slid in beside her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to him. Sumire let her eyelids fall, smiling as she felt Akira’s heartbeat through his chest.

“Yeah, we were just talking about you and Ryuji,” Sumire responded, her eyes still closed but she could tell Ann was beginning to panic as she heard a thud on the table.

“Su-Sumire! Don’t say anymore!” Ann pleaded. As Sumire opened her eyes, she saw complete embarrassment and panic on Ann’s face as her cheeks burned red. Akira looked curiously at Ann, then at Sumire, then finally back at Ann before speaking up.

“What were you going to say, Sumire?” Akira asked, an innocent look on his face, but both he and Sumire knew what was going on. Ann stared pleadingly at Sumire, and Sumire felt a pang of guilt at what they were putting Ann through; it was all too familiar for her.

“We were just talking about how I’m becoming like you,” Sumire replied dreamily, staring upwards into Akira’s eyes. 

“How’d that come up?” Akira asked, a brief moment of shock flashing across his face before he returned to a normal state. Ann began calming down, thanking Sumire inwardly for changing the subject.

“I haven’t been getting enough sleep due to school and modelling stuff, and Sumire lectured me,” Ann explained, more than willing to move further away from Ryuji and love. 

“And I’m assuming Sumire said something to the effect of “That’s not good for your health, Ann!”, right?” Akira asked. Ann simply grinned and nodded at her friend and former leader as he looked downwards at Sumire, who was beaming up at him, then back at Ann. “Well, Ann, she’s absolutely right. While school and your career are important, sleep is just as, if not more, important.”

“This is exactly what I mean!”Ann tiredly exclaimed as she saw Sumire nod her head and was staring directly at her. She rested her chin on the table, staring up at the couple in front of her and, before she knew it and despite her best efforts, she was thinking of Ryuji. ‘Dammit! Get out of my head!’ Ann screamed in her mind, violently shaking her head as the blush rushed back to her face.

“Ann, are you okay?” Akira asked, both him and Sumire staring at her concerendly. 

“Y-yes!” Ann nearly shouted again, covering her mouth as her cheeks burned bright. She couldn’t get Ryuji out of her mind; no matter how much she tried focusing on something else, a specific image of the blonde working out at the gym stuck in her mind, sweat covering his entire body and glistening under the light. Ann’s face burned even brighter as her mind focused on Ryuji’s defined muscles, her embarrassment growing deeper and deeper when Akira put his hand down on the table.

“Ann, are you sure you’re okay?” Akira asked once again with more force in his voice. Ann broke out of her thoughts, Ryuji fading from her mind as she stared at her leader. “You’re blushing pretty hard right now and it seemed as if you spaced out; were you thinking of someone?”

“W-what do you mean by that?” Ann stuttered, trying and failing to mask her blush. Akira leaned back again, his smile returning. Ann couldn’t help but notice that he pulled Sumire closer to him, and felt a pang of jealousy. Not at them specifically, just the relationship they had.

“Well, I talked with Ryuji last night and I mentioned your name, and he had a similar reaction,” Akira shrugged, both him and Sumire keeping a straight face while looking at Ann.

“H-he did?” Ann asked, her voice getting weaker and weaker.

“Yeah, he did. Have you two talked recently?” Akira asked Ann, who shook her head in response.

“To be perfectly honest… I miss hanging out with you guys…” Ann suddenly said, making Akira and Sumire perk up. “Of course I miss hanging out with everyone, but… you, me, and Ryuji hanging out were some of my happiest memories, Akira.” Ann closed her eyes; it was clear to both Akira and Sumire that she was lonely. As Akira was going to comfort her, Ann’s eyes sparked with excitement and realization. “Wait! I have a photoshoot coming up! Do you two want to come?” 

“We would love to, Ann!” Sumire exclaimed, Akira nodding his head in affirmation to both the question and Sumire’s response.

“I’ll ask Ryuji about it as well,” Akira replied, pulling out his phone and going to his calendar app. “What time is it? And where exactly?”

“It’s in three days, on Saturday at noon,” Ann responded, with Akira quickly marking off the time in his calendar app and setting a reminder for Friday before looking back up to see Ann fidgeting. “You said that you’ll ask Ryuji, right?”

“Yeah, what about it?” Akira asked, tilting his head to the side.

“He probably doesn’t want to go…” Ann sighed, before realizing that she said that out loud. 

“I’m sure he wants to hang out again, so don’t worry about it!” Sumire attempted to cheer Ann up, receiving a smile from the blonde.

“Crap, I have a class in thirty minutes! I’ll see you guys later!” Ann exclaimed after pulling out her phone frantically. She quickly grabbed her bag and stood up, leaving money on the table for the drink she ordered before walking towards the door. “See you later, Akira, Sumire!” 

“Bye Ann!”   
“See you Saturday, Ann!”

After the couple saw Ann leave, they turned around to face forward. “You sure do have a good eye, Akira,” Sumire said, leaning her head against Akira’s shoulder. Akira smiled down at her while running his hand through her hair.

“I think it's obvious how much those two like each other,” Akira replied. “But I can tell you did a good job before I got here.”

“Thanks, Senpai,” Sumire whispered as she snuggled up closer to Akira. “Those two really deserve each other.”

“I’m glad you see it too,” Akira chuckled lightly. “Ever since I met those two, I could tell that there was something more between them. Call it a gut feeling, but they’ve had feelings hidden away for each other for a long time.”

“I think you’re right, Akira.” Sumire closed her eyes, her body relaxed as she felt Akira’s hand run through her hair when she heard Akira’s stomach rumble. “Senpai, have you eaten yet?”

“Stomach, how dare you sell me out!” Akira exclaimed, looking downwards at his stomach with a fake look of betrayal on his face. Sumire giggled to herself as she called over a waitress and ordered three plates of the steak and two frui-tea’s. “Sumire, are you that hungry?”

“Silly Akira! Two of these are for you!” Sumire teased her boyfriend. “And don’t you dare think about paying for it! I’ve gotten a part time job, so let me cover it!”

Akira stared at his girlfriend, too shocked for words, as she beamed up at him. However much he wanted to protest, seeing her radiant smile made him relent and he let her pay. The steaks were done in a relatively short time, and while they weren’t good by any stretch, Akira devoured both of his, taking drinks of his frui-tea in between large bites. Sumire smiled at him as he finished, his fork clinging against the plate.

“Sumire, you need to eat as well!” Akira exclaimed as he leaned back, staring at the still intact steak on Sumire’s plate. Blushing slightly, Sumire turned her attention to her steak, eating it just as fast as Akira did.

“Whew! That was satisfying!” Sumire exclaimed as she finished off her frui-tea, leaning back into her seat as well. 

“Thanks Sumi, I really needed that,” Akira whispered into her ear as he pulled her close to him. Sumire giggled as her cheeks turned a light pink, pecking Akira on the cheek resting her head on his shoulder. She was trying her best to not get flustered, but it was taking a lot of her concentration.

“So how was practice?” Sumire asked, trying to change the subject.

“It was really fun actually!” Akira exclaimed. “Coach Fukuda is really pushing me to be my best so he’s kind of strict, but that’s honestly what I like about him. From just today I learned so much, and I can tell that I’ll only continue learning from here.”

“That’s amazing, Akira!” Sumire said excitedly, staring up into her boyfriend’s eyes. “He sounds a lot like Coach Hiraguchi.”

“That’s what I thought too.” Akira chuckled as he remembered shadowboxing with Sumire’s coach. The two spent the rest of the afternoon together at the cafe catching up, telling each other about how their practices went when it was time for Sumire to go home.

“I’ll see you later, Senpai!” Sumire waved goodbye as she boarded the train, leaving Akira to head back to his car. 

The drive back was silent and boring, but luckily there weren’t many cars on the road. Akira returned back to his apartment, the door being unlocked as he opened it up to see Ryuji lying on the couch.

“I’m back.” Akira announced as he closed the door behind him. Ryuji grunted as he swung his legs off of the couch and looked behind him.

“Hey Akira! How was Sumire?” Ryuji asked, rubbing his eyes. ‘Ah, he just woke up from a nap. Makes sense,’ Akira thought to himself as he walked in and sat down on the other couch.

“She’s good. We got to talk about how we’ve been doing, about how our coaches are similar; the normal stuff,” Akira informed Ryuji.

“That’s good to hear, man,” Ryuji cracked a smile at his friend, lightly stretching as he let out a small yawn. “I’m gonna go lay down for the rest of the evening, man. I’m beat.” Ryuji began walking towards his room when Akira suddenly stood up.

“One more thing, Ryuji,” Akira called out to his friend, who stopped and turned around. “We actually met up with Ann today, and she was wondering if the three of us would want to go to her photoshoot this Saturday. Sumire and I already said yes, so we’re just waiting on you.”

Ryuji’s face went blank as he stared at Akira, his mind immediately going back to the conversation they had last night. He desperately wanted to say no, but he kept imagining Ann in his mind’s eye. Finally, Ryuji let out a sigh. “Yeah, I think I’ll go…” Ryuji groaned in defeat, but he was excited for the day. 

“Good, I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you there,” Akira said as he walked towards and past Ryuji, pulling out his phone and sharing the event with Ryuji. Ryuji looked at his best friend to question him further, but Akira had already gone into his own room.

“She’ll be happy?” Ryuji asked no one, staring down at the ground as his heart was beating out of his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it weird for me to love RyuAnn almost as much as ShuSumi? I don't think so. This is my second favorite ship by far, so be prepared to see a lot more of it coming up(basically for the rest of this fic). Obviously ShuSumi will continue on and be the main focus of this story. Also, I should mention that I am playing favorites hardcore in this fic; I will still try and give the other Thieves their own time, but don't be surprised if some get more attention than others.  
> Again, thank you all for reading and following me into this new work, and can't wait to continue this journey with you all!
> 
> Some recommendations for you all!
> 
> Echo of the Forgotten by MrzGrumpy - https://archiveofourown.org/works/24981250/chapters/60478747
> 
> Ordinary Days with You by RainyDays(SunsetHours) - https://archiveofourown.org/works/25199290/chapters/61073782 [IF YOU LIKE THIS FLUFF, READ THIS AND JOKER ON ICE PLEASE! HE DESERVES SO MUCH MORE LOVE, SO SUPPORT HIM AS MUCH AS YOU CAN!]


	3. My Homie and My Sweet

The next two days went by painfully slow, at least for Ryuji. Ever since his conversations with Akira, Ryuji hasn’t been able to properly concentrate on anything, not even Track practice. His mind was only on one thing: Ann. He couldn’t stop thinking about her, no matter how many times he would smack his face, trying to stare at other girls on campus just to get her out of his head, but the same image of her walking in Inokashira Park stuck in his mind. 

Even worse for him, on Friday he saw her in magazines at the convenience store from her previous photoshoot. She was on the front cover in a sexy black dress, clearly showing her curves and breasts off and stopping halfway between her hips and knees. 

‘Dammit… even out here I can’t get away…’ Ryuji cursed to himself as he brought his energy drinks to the cashier. As the cashier was checking him out, Ryuji couldn’t help but continue to look over at the magazines and noticed three guys also staring at the page. Suddenly, he felt a rush of anger, gritting his teeth and balling his hands into fists as he turned his head back to his drinks. However, he could still hear their mutterings, saying that she was “sexy” and wishing they had a shot at her, and something broke in Ryuji’s mind as he glared over at them. One of the guys, around the same height as Ryuji but bigger in general, noticed and turned to face the blonde.

“What do you want?” he gruffly asked; it was clear this guy was an adult along with his two other friends who stood next to him. 

“If you got a problem, spit it out!” the second guy to his left barked, drawing the attention of everyone in the store and making the cashier noticeably nervous.

“We were just staring at this fine lass on this magazine, that’s all,” the third explained, though the look on his face was less than friendly. Ryuji’s anger continued to build, flashes of Kamoshida racing through his head as he grit his teeth even harder.

“Stop treaten’ her like an object, you d-bag,” Ryuji growled, his glare sharpening as he stared at the man in the middle. The man in the middle actually took a step back as he stared into Ryuji’s eyes before correcting himself.

“You're starting to piss me off, punk!” the man in the middle shouted, suddenly and clumsily taking a step forward and swung his fist at Ryuji. Ryuji simply took a step back as the bystanders around the store collectively gasped, the man missing entirely. “Dammit; you two, help teach this punk a lesson!”

“You really think that’s a smart decision?” Ryuji asked, still glaring as the three took a step towards him, noticing in the corner of his eyes that numerous people had their phones out and recording them.

“Fuck smart decisions! You’re a pain in the ass!” the second man screamed, lunging towards Ryuji as the other two were right behind him, waiting for Ryuji to move. However, Ryuji didn’t as he closed his eyes, a wicked grin appearing on his face. The man’s fist slammed into Ryuji’s forehead, but the blonde didn’t budge

“The hell?!” the third man shouted as the second man pulled back his fist, which was noticeably red. 

“You idiots have no clue what you’re doing…” Ryuji chuckled as he reopened his eyes, the three men taking a step back in fear; they were now bright yellow. “I suggest you run, before you get hurt.”

“Why the hell would we run from you?” the first man shouted in rage, his leg flying towards Ryuji’s gut as the two other men threw punches at Ryuji’s face. However, none of their attacks hit as they were suddenly on their asses, barely conscious.

“Dumbasses,” Ryuji shook his head at the three, walking over to pick up the dropped magazine and put it back on the shelf. “Oh shit, I still need to pay…” Ryuji muttered to himself, completely ignoring the dumbfounded looks by everyone in the store; well, everyone except one person. As Ryuji paid for the drinks, he met up with Akira near the doors and walked out as Akira whispered “Makajamaon”, his eyes flashing pink as everyone’s faces in the store went blank.

“Nice work in there Ryuji,” Akira lightly slapped Ryuji on the back, concentrating beforehand.

“Eh, just can’t stand guys like that,” Ryuji responded, shrugging as the two made their way back to Akira’s car. Silence fell between the two as Ryuji’s thoughts of Ann returned, only more prevalent now. 

As they approached Akira’s car, Ryuji let out a sigh. “What’s up? You feeling guilty for knocking those guys around?” Akira asked, grinning over at his best friend. “Honestly, you probably could have done it without my powe-”

“That’s not it, Akira,” Ryuji let out another sigh as he climbed into the car, Akira following suit and starting the car. “Were you actually right? Goddammit, I hate this feeling…”

“What feeling?” Akira questioned as he pulled out from his parking spot and began the drive back to their apartment.

“When you said that I’ll know how it feels, I didn’t believe you,” Ryuji muttered, looking downwards at his hand. “But… when those guys were looking at Ann like that, it pissed me off for some reason.” Ryuji was gritting his teeth as he tightened his fist, his knuckles turning white. To his surprise, he heard a chuckle come from Akira. “What, did I say something?”

“I told you so,” was all Akira said, looking over at Ryuji with a smirk as he stopped at a red light. However, before Ryuji could respond, Akira’s face turned serious. “Are you going to be okay at the photoshoot tomorrow? It’s part of the job for people to look at her, you know.”

“I know…” Ryuji sighed, his head sagging as the light turned green. ‘Should I go tomorrow? Why the hell do I feel so… jealous?’ Ryuji thought to himself, the car completely quiet.

“Ryuji? I can let Ann know if you aren’t going to make i-” Akira began, breaking the silence as he turned onto the street with their apartment complex.

“Nah, I’m still going,” Ryuji cut in, looking up towards Akira as the teen pulled into the complex’s parking lot. Akira met his best friend’s eyes and smiled; he saw a certain determination that was all too familiar to him.

“Alright, but you can’t pick fights with anyone there,” Akira joked as he and Ryuji got out of the car.

“Those guys tried to fight me!” Ryuji exclaimed, walking up to the front door with Akira grinning beside him.

“You must’ve pissed them off quite a lot then,” Akira shook his head, his grin growing bigger as he waved at the three receptionists.

“I just couldn’t stand how they were talkin’ about her, man…” Ryuji growled, clenching his fists. Akira noticed and went silent as the two walked up the stairs and towards their apartment. 

“Phew, we’re finally back…” Akira sighed as he closed the door behind him, turning around to see Ryuji still clenching his fists. “Ryuji, I get what you’re feeling, but you have to calm down.”

“So-sorry…” Ryuji said as he relaxed his body. “Just… those guys reminded me of Kamoshida, and I lost my cool.”

“Don’t worry about it, Ryuji,” Akira reassured his best friend. “Like I said before, I’m the same way with Sumire.”

“Oh right, you said that you made one guy piss his pants, right?” Ryuji asked, a grin forming on his face.

“Yeah, he was a bigger coward than I expected,” Akira grinned back at Ryuji. “All those guys are the same; they act tough until you actually confront them.”

“You can say that again,” Ryuji said, his face almost stuck in a scowl as his mind returned to what happened today. “I know I had my Thief strength, but those guys need to gang up on people to get their way. Those people piss me off.”

“Heh, that’s why we were Phantom Thieves, right?” Akira spoke freely, knowing that they were safe in their apartment. 

“We certainly didn’t do it ‘cause anything good happened, that’s for sure,” Ryuji said, his scowl turning back to a grin as Akira did the same. However, Akira’s phone began buzzing and realization crossed his face as he pulled it out and rushed towards his room, leaving Ryuji alone with his grin getting even bigger as he heard Akira apologizing profusely, assumingly to Sumire.

“Man, he sure does love her,” Ryuji chuckled to himself, walking over to the couch with his energy drink and sat down. He let out a sigh as his entire body relaxed; he and Akira had practice earlier that day, and they even did a little extra running afterwards with Doyro, so his body was considerably sore. 

As his mind wandered, Ryuji remembered three girls “whispering” to each other while the three were taking a quick water break, talking loud enough for the three to hear.

“Isn’t that Ryuji Sakamoto? He’s one of our best runners here, right?” a brunette asked loudly.

“That’s what I heard as well. He’s already so close to the Japanese record!” a short haired blonde responded excitedly.

“He’s pretty muscular too… do you think he has a girlfriend?” another brunette added on.

“Oh! That’s Akira Kurusu right beside him! Our sole Long Jumper!” the first girl mentioned.

“I saw him jumping yesterday, and he’s incredible! I just hope he’s okay with the pressure…” the second brunette trailed off.

“Is he single? If not, do you think I have a shot at him?” the three guys could see the blonde bite her lip slightly. Ryuji remembered clearly that Akira calmly placed his water bottle down at that point and ran back onto the track and grinned; if he heard what the girls said afterwards, he probably would have gotten even more upset.

“I heard he’s with that gymnast that won the National meet this year. Ugh, I don’t see what he sees in her…”

“What are you grinning about, Ryuji?” Ryuji broke out of his thoughts as Akira came back out, still wearing his blue jeans from earlier but now wearing a red and black silky polo. 

“Nothin’ much, just remembering something Doyro said earlier,” Ryuji quickly lied to Akira, knowing that his best friend could easily see straight through him.

“He’s a pretty funny guy,” Akira replied, seemingly ignoring the fact that Ryuji lied. It was then that Ryuji noticed the slight amount of fear in Akira’s eyes, and grinned even more.

“What did you do?” Ryuji questioned his best friend, who immediately winced at the question before slumping forward; a role reversal that almost never happened.

“I forgot I was supposed to meet up with Sumire today…” Akira sighed, bringing his hand to his face and shaking his head in disappointment. “Can’t believe I did that…”

“Well, you shouldn’t keep her waiting dude!” Ryuji admonished his friend, before taking the chance to tease him for a change. “I can only imagine the distress of her prince abandoning her…”

Akira’s eyes widened at Ryuji’s words; clearly they had a bigger effect on him than expected as he sprinted out of the apartment. “Heh, that is fun…”

“Shit, shit, shit!” Akira muttered under his breath as he flew down the stairs, barely dodging the other people climbing up and down them as he rushed to the main hallway and out into the parking lot. He was only five minutes late when Sumire called him, but even the thought of Sumire being distressed of waiting for him made him panic, a feeling he hadn’t felt in quite a while. 

They were going to meet at the Underground Mall in Shibuya because Sumire wanted to go shopping with Akira. At first Akira was slightly confused as to why, but he didn’t bother to ask questions; he was just happy with any chance he had to hang out with Sumire. But now, since he was running late, the only thing he was feeling was a deep unease as he sprinted down the street towards the nearest subway station to Shibuya. Narrowly avoiding passerbys, Akira actually considered transforming into Raoul to avoid the train ride but went against his mind’s wishes as he barely made it onto the train. He came to a stop right in front of a confused crowd on the train, but he didn’t notice or care as he took out his phone and texted Sumire.

_ Hey, I’m on the train right now to Shibuya. I am so, so sorry for being late. I’ll make it up to you in any way I can! _

_ Senpai, like I said on the phone, it’s alright! You said that you were hanging out with Ryuji, right?  _

_ Yeah, we were just getting some drinks when some punks came up to him. _

_ Wait, what? _

‘Shit!’ Akira cursed internally, wincing at his phone as he saw “...”, awaiting the frantic, worried text from Sumire.

_ Is everything okay? I’m assuming Ryuji is okay, but you guys didn’t do anything reckless, right? _

_ Everything is fine, Sumire. Trust me on this one, okay? _

Akira waited for her response in agonizing silence, the train nearly reaching its destination when she finally responded.

_ I believe you, Senpai. Just… don’t do anything dangerous, okay? _

Grinning at his phone, Akira figured it was time to lighten the mood.

_ Remember who you’re talking to, Sumire. I’ve faced off against four godlike opponents at this point, the time to tell me to not do anything dangerous was around… two years ago. _

_ I guess that’s fair… What a troublesome boyfriend I have. _

Akira’s grin grew larger as the train came to a stop. ‘She’s getting better at this,’ he thought to himself as he walked off the train, feeling much calmer than when he got onto it. His body navigated its way towards the Underground Mall; Akira had been here so many times that he barely paid attention to where he was walking until he had climbed down the final steps into the Mall. 

‘She should be around here,’ Akira’s mind trailed off as he made his way to the clothing store, no sign of Sumire to be seen in the area. ‘I swear to god, if some creep is bothering her, I’ll…’

“-oooo Senpai!” Akira’s thoughts were cut short as he felt a pair of slender arms wrap around him from behind, the petite hands clasping together as he felt a small body press into his back. The scowl he had on his face transformed into a delighted smile as he spun on his heels, suddenly face to face with a grinning Sumire. “Did I surprise you?” her sensual voice barely reached above a whisper, making the hair on Akira’s arms raise.

“Yeah, you got me there,” Akira replied as he wrapped his own arms around Sumire, ignoring the annoyed looks from the people around them as they walked around the two. “How long were you planning that?” Sumire continued grinning at Akira as she got onto her tiptoes and pecked him on the lips, giggling as she saw a dust of pink on his cheeks.

“Well, I’ve always wanted to surprise you after the Hawaii trip, but after you said you would be late I knew that I had to get back at you,” Sumire teased, her grin turning mischievous as she stared up at Akira who tried shaking off his blush unsuccessfully. However, she let out an “eep” as Akira took her hand and spun her around, stopping her as he hugged her from behind and leaning down so his mouth was next to her ear.

“If that’s the punishment I’m going to get, I’ll be late more often then,” Akira whispered, and now it was Sumire’s turn to be embarrassed as she blushed deeply. She realized that more and more people were beginning to stare at them, and she became even more embarrassed.

“A-Akira, people are staring at us!” Sumire whispered, turning her head to look into Akira’s eyes. His smirk vanished immediately as he saw the panic in her eyes and let her go; he didn’t want to take it too far. 

“Sorry about that, Sumi-” Akira began, rubbing the back of his head just as he felt Sumire’s lips on his, cutting him off mid sentence. His eyes widened in shock, staring down at Sumire as she broke from the kiss; her cheeks were still red, but she had that devious grin back on her face.

_ ‘Hmph, it seems she’s gotten much better at this, Akira,’ _ Raoul teased from within, Akira noticing his own blush and desperately trying to hide it as Sumire giggled at him.

“Senpai, I love you,” Sumire said sensually, sending chills across Akira’s entire body as he was stunned at how… forward she was being, especially in public. People were beginning to ignore them again, with only one or two people looking over at them at any time. “You only let me see this side of you; I’m so lucky.” 

Akira blinked once, then twice at Sumire; it felt as if his brain was working in overdrive to try and catch up with what just happened. While Akira was trying to process what was happening, Sumire took his hand and led him to the clothing store, looking back occasionally and giggling to see Akira still flustered.

_ ‘You truly have him wrapped around your little finger,’ _ Ella giggled from within Sumire, causing Sumire’s grin to widen even more as she let out another giggle. The two walked into the store, Akira finally breaking out of his daze and walking next to Sumire, his cheeks still slightly pink. It wasn’t like him to be so emotionally open, but being with Sumire made him lower his guard; she made him happy, plain and simple. Akira reached over for Sumire’s hand, who happily accepted it as they began walking around the store.

“So, what are you thinking of buying?” Akira finally spoke up, his heart still beating faster than normal. 

“Hmm… I’m not sure actually. Tomorrow is going to be sunny, so maybe a hat? I also need a new pair of shorts…” Sumire put her hand to her chin, tilting her head adorably in thought as she looked around the store. Akira, his heart still beating quick from their previous interaction, turned his head quickly to hide another blush. ‘Dammit… you’re right, Raoul,’ he cursed internally, Sumire noticing almost instantly.

“What’s wrong, Senpa-” Sumire began, but Akira cut her off by confidently marching forward.

“Well, let’s get to looking!” Akira exclaimed happily. Sumire gazed upwards at him before matching his smile, pushing her questions to the back of her mind as she and Akira began looking through the troves of clothes. As they scoured the store, Akira quickly became a work horse, carrying the things that Sumire wanted to buy as she happily bounced around. However, Akira was content with this; seeing Sumire like this would always put a smile on his face.

The couple continued looking around the store, Sumire picking pieces of clothes that stood out to her and that Akira fell in love with instantly, and added it onto the pile forming in Akira’s arms. At the end of the excursion, they had spent around forty-five minutes in the store with seven items of clothing: a pair of red, round sunglasses, a light brown, round brimmed hat, two pairs of jean shorts, a pair of athletic shorts, and two new blouses. One of them was very similar to her normal blouse, except it was a light pink instead of light blue, while the other was an entirely white blouse.

The two approached the cashier, Akira beginning to put the mound of clothes onto the counter one at a time. In no time, the cashier scanned each piece of clothing, including the sunglasses that Akira put on instead of holding them. Sumire giggled as he took them off, revealing his fake glasses still underneath them and squished to his face, the cashier barely able to contain his own laughter as he finished scanning them. Sumire reached into her purse to pay, but Akira was faster, handing over his card to the cashier.

“Akira! You don’t have to do that!” Sumire protested, pouting as Akira simply smiled over at her. The cashier gave Akira back his card along with the bags of clothes, and the two walked out of the store.

“You’re right; I didn’t have to do that,” Akira shrugged, carrying two large bags in his hands. “However, I wanted to do it. Anything for my sweet princess.” Before Sumire could react, Akira leaned down and kissed Sumire on the forehead. Despite being able to tease Akira back, Sumire still couldn’t handle these sudden and frequent displays of affection and her face turned beet red.

“Se-Senpai!” Sumire yelped, taking a step back in embarrassment and tripped on a small crack in the concrete, beginning to fall backwards. However, before she could even make a noise, she felt Akira’s strong hands around her waist and on her back and was face to face with him yet again.

“Watch where you’re stepping, sweetheart,” Akira lightly told Sumire, helping her back to her feet as she and the bystanders around stared in disbelief at how fast Akira was. Sure, Sumire knew that Akira had unbelievable powers, but it still amazed her at how fast he truly was. Sumire didn’t have a chance to say anything as Akira began walking towards the nearest set of stairs. She quickly followed close behind him, having to jog to catch up and keep up with his stride. 

Akira slowed down and stopped once he and Sumire were in Central Square, standing off to the side. “Are you alright? You looked… stunned for a second there,” Akira questioned, frowning slightly; Sumire could see a flash of worry in his eyes.

“I’m fine Senpai! Just… every time you do something incredible like that, I can’t help but be amazed,” Sumire responded, looking around to make sure no one was listening to them. 

Akira let out a small sigh of relief at her answer before cracking a smile. “Well, I do still have a god inside of me. However, the powers that come with it are hard to control…” Akira let slip, wincing slightly; he realized that he had yet to tell Sumire yet as he saw a confused and concerned expression cover her face. As he explained, Sumire nodded along, seeming to understand everything until Akira was finished.

“Wait, why are you having these issues now and not after you sealed away that god?” Sumire questioned as the two began walking towards the station to Yongen-Jaya instinctively; they had made plans to go to Leblanc and say hi to Sojiro after shopping. Akira looked over at her in surprise; he never really considered the why, only thinking on how to control it. ‘Now that she mentions it, I didn’t have any issues with it before…’

“I got it!” Akira exclaimed softly, making sure to keep his voice down to not draw attention to them as they waited for the train. “It’s due to the amount of power I used when fighting Erebus.” Akira stopped, training his attention on Sumire to see how she would react. He wasn’t surprised as he saw her solemnly nod, but she wore an expression on her face that told him to keep going. However, the two boarded onto the train and so, since they were unable to find a seat and had to stand among a crowd of people, they had to stop the conversation for the entire train ride. They stood in silence, Sumire reaching over midway through the ride to grab Akira’s hand. 

The rest of the ride went by quickly, and the couple found themselves in front of the store where Akira lived two years ago. “We can continue the conversation when we get inside, I’m sure Sojiro, Futaba, and Morgana would want to hear it as well,” Akira told Sumire who nodded as her boyfriend opened the door for her.

“Welco- Oh, it’s you two!” Sojiro began in his normal, gruff tone before his entire face lit up. 

“Hey Sojiro, how’s it going?” Akira asked, grinning as he and Sumire both fully stepped inside. He immediately took note of the lack of Futaba and Morgana, the latter of whom was now living with Futaba and Sojiro due to Akira’s apartment not allowing pets. However, before he could ask Sojiro where they were, he was wrapped in the older man’s arms.

“Hey kid, it’s pretty good,” Sojiro responded softly, letting go of the justifiably stunned Akira with a grin on his face. Akira, seeing the older man so happy, shook off the shock on his face and smiled back at the man. After a second of sharing this moment, Akira broke eye contact and, with Sumire’s hand in his own, sat down at the bar as Sojiro walked behind the bar.

“Surprise us, Sojiro,” Akira answered as Sojiro was about to ask him a question. The middle aged man huffed in fake annoyance before grinning as he got to work.

“So, what are you two lovebirds doing here?” Sojiro teased as the coffee brewed. “It has been a while, y’know; maybe I should call Futaba and the cat over here?”

“We were just out shopping before this,” Akira responded, noticing out of the corner of his eye a light blush on Sumire’s cheeks and smiled; no matter how comfortable she would get teasing Akira, she would always be easy to tease. “Well, Sumire was shopping and I was her work horse.”

“Se-Senpai! You were the one that offered to carry them!” Sumire exclaimed, before quickly realizing this was another teasing from Akira.

“I know, Sumire,” Akira chuckled as he patted her on the head, a pout forming on her face. “I can’t help it sometimes.”

“Y’know kid, you keep this up and she might want to get back at you,” Sojiro said as he placed two cups of coffee and four plates of curry in front of the couple. “This is on the house, so eat up!” 

Two loud growls could be heard from beneath the bar with Akira and Sumire sharing sheepish grins before digging into the food and coffee. 

“Mm! As good as I remember it!” Akira exclaimed after finishing his cup of coffee.

“Thank you so much, Sojiro!” Sumire added on, giving a slight bow with her upper body to which Sojiro waved it off.

“No need to thank me, Sumire. As long as you’re keeping this guy in check, that’s good enough for me,” Sojiro finished with a deliberately poor attempt at hiding his gesture at Akira. The teen stared back at Sojiro, an unamused look on his face as Sumire began giggling at her boyfriend and his father-like figure. 

“Well, I’m trying my best but he can be a handful sometimes,” Sumire bemoaned, receiving a grin from Sojiro and a fake look of shock from Akira.

“Your words Sumire, they sting!” Akira grasped at his heart, making all three of them burst into fits of laughter. 

“Hey, what are we laughing about?” a familiar voice stopped all three in their tracks, causing them all to look over at the door. Akira grinned as he saw his former navigator and cat companion, Futaba Sakura and Morgana. 

“Hey Futaba, Morgana! Long time no see!” Akira exclaimed as he and Sumire got out of their seats, Futaba and Morgana running up to them.

“Akira, you saw us last week!” Morgana rolled his eyes playfully, jumping onto one of the stools. 

“Yeah I know, but it’s been weird not having you constantly in my ear,” Akira responded truthfully.

“That makes two of us, then,” Morgana said, a hint of sadness in his eyes. “But it’s been good living with Futaba and Sojiro!”

“That damn cat just won’t shut up…” Sojiro groaned, shaking his head and pinching his brow.

“Boss, you can understand me now!” Morgana shouted at Sojiro, who began chuckling as he came around the bar and stopped right in front of the cat.

“I know, I know,” Sojrio said as he scratched Morgana behind the ears before turning back towards Akira. “It’s still weird though that I have one of those things as well. Y’know, I don’t think we’ve talked about what happened in full since you’ve come back. Those things are called… personas, right?”

“Yeah, they are another part of yourself, the truest part of yourself,” Akira responded, the three other former phantom Thieves nodding in agreement.

“I see…” Sojiro mumbled as he stroked his beard. While he was thinking, Sumire remembered something.

“Oh Senpai, should we continue the conversation we had earlier?” she asked, receiving three curious looks from the others.

“Yeah,” Akira nodded, three heads swiveling over to him with the same curious looks on their faces. “Here, it’s kind of a long explanation so you should sit down.” Everyone did as they were told as Akira began explaining what exactly happened after his disappearance. 

He was still conscious after he disappeared, but he couldn’t feel or see anything. The passage of time was inconsistent wherever he was, because despite being gone for months he felt his body reform nearly instantaneously. 

“And when I came back, I found that my powers have been extremely difficult to control,” Akira said as he stared at his hand.

“Is the seal on that god still okay, Akira?” Morgana asked, worry clearly plastered on his face.

“Don’t worry about that; it isn’t going anywhere,” Akira reassured his cat companion with a smile.

“But that leaves the question unanswered, Akira: Why are your powers out of control?” Futaba asked, her face scrunched up; it was clear that she was thinking through every possibility.

“That’s easy; when I used all my power against Erebus last Christmas and couldn’t hold my physical form any more, my energy flowed freely. But now that I have a body again, it’s still trying to flow freely, meaning that I have to learn to control it again,” Akira attempted to explain as simply as he could, but halfway through his explanation he realized that he was losing them all. Everyone except Futaba.

“Hey, that does make sense!” Futaba exclaimed to everyone’s surprise, even Akira’s. “I mean, I can’t really explain it any better than you did, Akira, but basically the energy inside of you got used to not having a body, so when you regained your body the energy stayed the same.” 

“Heh, yeah, that’s pretty much the gist of it,” Akira chuckled as the other’s continued to be confused. “Now I’m trying to reign it back in, especially for Track and Field. I want my performance to be on my own.”

“Wait, wait, wait, did you say Track and Field? Christ kid, could you at least let me know when you get yourself into something?” Sojiro sighed as Akira sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

“Sorry about that, Sojiro. Long story short, Ryuji basically convinced me to join the Track team because all of the Long Jumpers either quit or couldn’t do it this year.”

“Wait, all of them!?” Sojiro shouted in shock. “That’s crazy!”

“Wait, so you’re the only jumper?” Morgana added on, sharing the same level of disbelief as Sojiro, to which Akira simply nodded.

“Well, I’ve been able to largely get control of myself during my jumps and I’m already wildly better than most others, despite my lack of proper training,” Akira responded. “Guess my time as a Phantom Thief really paid off, huh?”

“Yeah Akira, you’re ripped! I’m kinda jealous that Sumire gets to see that body so often…” Futaba groaned, a creepy smile flashing on her face as she turned towards a rapidly embarrassed Sumire.

“Wh-What?!” Sumire exclaimed, her face becoming bright red from the sudden teasing from Futaba. 

“Alright you, could you try not to act like a perverted creep for like, a day?” Akira sighed, an exasperated look on his face as he shook it in disapproval. “I swear, it’s like you like teasing her more than I do.”

“Akira!” Sumire protested, her face somehow becoming an even deeper shade of red, to which Akira flashed her a charming grin. Before Akira could continue the teasing, his phone vibrated in his pocket and he quickly pulled it out.

“Ah crap, we should really get going now,” Akira sighed as he put his phone back into his pocket. “I have an early practice tomorrow, so I want to call it early today.”

“Alright, see you two lovebirds later!” Sojiro called out as Akira and Sumire got up from their seats.

“Bye Akira, Sumire!” both Futaba and Morgana called out as the two waved back at them before turning back around and exiting the cafe.

“Senpai, do you actually have an early practice tomorrow?” Sumire asked as they made their way back to the station. “You do remember we have the photoshoot, right?”

“Yeah, I remember Sumire,” Akira responded. “I actually do have a small meeting tomorrow with my coach at nine, but I also didn’t want to bring up the photoshoot with Morgana there.”

“Oh right, he likes Ann as well,” Sumire said before turning her face to Akira. “Well, I think that’s for the best then. If they do confess tomorrow, then they’ll have to break it to him.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Akira responded, nodding his head as they stepped onto the train.

The train ride back to Shibuya was uneventful, with little talking between Akira and Sumire due to the amount of people in the train car. When the train stopped at Shibuya, the couple got off and wandered to Central Square. 

“Well, this is where we split for today, Sumire,” Akira said, still carrying Sumire’s bags in his hands. “Wait a minute, these are for you. Do you want me to come with you and drop these off, or-”

“Could I stay with you for the night, Akira?” Sumire blurted out, a blush instantly appearing on her face as Akira looked at her in surprise. “School was cancelled tomorrow, and we’re both going to the photoshoot at noon.” After a few seconds of Akira not responding, Sumire began to panic. “O-of course, if you want to, Akira! I don’t want to inconvenience y-” Sumire was cut off as Akira put his finger up to her lips after shifting one of the bags to his other hand.

“As long as your parents are okay with it, I’ll happily spend more time with you Sumire,” Akira gently responded. Sumire’s eyes lit up with excitement as she quickly pulled out her phone and texted her dad. However, her excitement died down as she frowned at her phone. 

“He said that he wanted me to stay home tonight, but that I can stay the night tomorrow…” Sumire gloomily confirmed Akira’s suspicions. 

“Well, do you want me to come with you to drop off your clothes?” Akira asked, receiving a small nod from Sumire.

The rest of the day was filled with train rides and walking, Akira eventually dropping off Sumire and her clothes and stopping to chat with the Yoshizawas for a little bit. However, he couldn’t stay for very long so he left after around ten minutes, kissing Sumire goodbye and waving at Shinichi and Akane as he made his way back to the train station. After two train rides that felt like they took an eternity and a short walk, Akira found himself back at the apartment complex. Waving hello to the three receptionists, he made his way upstairs and to his and Ryuji’s apartment.

“Yo dude, you’re finally back!” Ryuji exclaimed as Akira let the door close behind him. The blonde sat up on the couch, turning down the television as Akira set down his bags on the floor and fell down onto their other couch.

“Today was a long day, Ryuji,” Akira sighed as he sunk into the couch. 

“How was shopping with Sumire?” Ryuji asked, deciding it best to ignore Akira’s sighing.

“It was fun! She got some new clothes and even a hat and a pair of sunglasses for tomorrow!” Akira exclaimed, shifting his body upwards so he wasn’t sinking into the couch anymore.

“Wait, tomorrow?” Ryuji questioned, to which Akira frowned.

“Did… did you already forget, Ryuji?” Akira asked incredulously, receiving a blank look from Ryuji. He waited a few seconds before seeing the realization on Ryuji’s face, and didn’t bother concealing his grin as Ryuji shot to his feet.

“Oh shit, the photoshoot tomorrow!” Ryuji cursed, with Akira trying to hold back his laughter. “Dude, a shit ton happened today! You can’t blame me!”

“Ryuji, you knocked three people onto their asses today because of Ann.”

“Ah suddup!” Ryuji exclaimed, his cheeks reddening as he rubbed the back of his head.

“Well, I already told Ann you’d go, and I have practice early tomorrow,” Akira said as he got up from the couch, catching the time on the television; 9:00 p.m. “I’m gonna go lay down in my room, alright?”

“Alright, goodnight Akira!” Ryuji called out as Akira made his way to his room, the entire apartment once again returning to silence but the sounds of the television. Letting out a yawn, 

Ryuji reclined on the couch again, his eyes drooping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the longer than usual wait in between chapters, life has been... rough the last couple of days with this whole quarantine and stuff. Hope you like this chapter!
> 
> Recommended fic time:  
> A Lifelong Fan in Me by some1upoyo - https://archiveofourown.org/works/25433350/chapters/61683034
> 
> Renegade by Light_Sumire - https://archiveofourown.org/works/24782095/chapters/59926366
> 
> Series by RainyDays(SunsetHours): Always Together: A Ren and Sumire Romance - https://archiveofourown.org/series/1825528


	4. Confession

“Huh?!” Before he knew it, it was already morning, the sunlight shining directly on his face. Ryuji took a look around the room; nothing had changed, and it seemed like Akira had yet to get up yet. ‘Damn, did I really fall asleep on the couch? And why do I feel so goddamn nervous?’ Ryuji cursed internally as he swung his legs off the couch. As he did so, he heard a door open to his left, causing his attention to shift over to see Akira shamble out of his room.

“Mornin’, Akira,” Ryuji said, rubbing his eyes as he got up from the couch. Akira stopped for a second to nod over at Ryuji with his eyes still half open before turning back to walk towards the bathroom. However, just as he was about to enter into the bathroom, he stopped again to face Ryuji, his eyes wide open.

“Wait, did you fall asleep out here Ryuji?” Akira asked, his face scrunched up in confusion.

“Yeah…” Ryuji responded despondently. Squeezing the bridge of his nose, Akira shook his head and let out a sigh.

“Ryuji…” Akira eventually said, sighing like a disappointed mother. “Oh well; you do remember that we’re going to the photoshoot today, right?”

“Yeah, I remember,” Ryuji groaned as he began walking towards his room.

“I still have practice today, so I’ll see you there,” Akira said as he fully stepped into the bathroom. “Oh, by the way, the photoshoot is at Odaiba Seaside Park. I’ll text you the exact location so you know where to go, alright?”

“Sounds good, Akira!” Ryuji responded as he made his way into his room and closed the door, hearing from the room beside him Akira brushing his teeth and getting ready for his meeting with Coach Fukuda as he went over to his dresser to get out clothes for the day. ‘Ah dammit, I should probably wear somethin’ nice if we’re going to see Ann…’Ryuji thought to himself as he pulled out a pair of blue jeans and his sole polo shirt. It was made of silk and was solid yellow; he received it as a Christmas gift from his mother during his last year in middle school. However, he never had a reason or desire to wear it, especially after being labelled a delinquent after his encounter with Kamoshida.

“Wait, why the hell do I care about dressin’ up?” Ryuji asked himself aloud, shaking his head but the feeling that he should look nice remained. He knew the reason, but he still didn’t want to fully accept it. As he was arguing with himself, Ryuji heard the front door open and close and he checked the time; it was 8:30 a.m. “I’m already up, so there’s no point in trying to go back to sleep. Might as well take a shower and maybe go for a walk…” With that, Ryuji gently laid out the jeans and yellow polo on his bed and grabbed a pair of underwear and a towel and made his way towards the bathroom.

Time flew by as Ryuji finished up his shower and went out for a walk, every time he took a look at his phone another hour had passed. “Damn, really?” Ryuji muttered under his breath, walking down the central street of Shibuya. “It’s already 10, huh? Might as well start heading back…” Ryuji turned on his heels right in front of the convenience store, a bag in his hands with some food as he began to walk back towards the station. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw some people huddled together whispering to each other, but he was too preoccupied with his food to take further notice or care. 

The blonde didn’t notice anyone or anything else that caught his eye as he made his way back to his apartment. Well, he did notice one thing: another magazine with Ann on the cover of it, titled “The Rising Star!”, which returned his mind back onto the photoshoot coming up soon. ‘Dammit, get the hell out of my head!’ Ryuji yelled in his mind, showing visible frustration on the train as people moved away from him. ‘I’ll be seeing you later today, so just give me a break already!’

_ ‘Ar… ou st… fighting i…?’  _ the voice from two days ago echoed within Ryuji’s mind. 

“Who the hell’s there!” Ryuji burst out, causing numerous heads to shoot over at him. “Shit, sorry…” he mumbled, scratching the back of his head as he sat back down. ‘Wait, didn’t Akira say somethin’ about this? Is… is that you, Willi–’

Just as Ryuji was about to finish the thought, the doors to the train opened, cutting him off as the bustle of the other passengers clouded his mind. ‘Ah whatever, it was probably nothing much,’ he thought as he walked towards his apartment, passing by people he began to recognize as those that lived in the apartment. Checking his phone one last time and realizing that it was nearly eleven, Ryuji put extra energy into his steps, nearly breaking out into a jog. 

As he burst into the apartment, Ryuji quickly made his way towards his room and saw the clothes he put out earlier. ‘Might as well put them on…’ Ryuji thought, not willing to think about it anymore as he quickly changed. 

“Damn, I actually look pretty good in these things!” Ryuji exclaimed as he stepped in front of the mirror in the bathroom, not bothering to button it up as he flexed a little bit, the silk clinging onto his biceps as he did so. “Am I supposed to tuck these in, or no? Ah screw it.” Ryuji walked out of the bathroom, leaving his polo untucked. As he put on his shoes, Ryuji felt his phone vibrate and saw that Akira sent him the place of the photoshoot. Putting it away, Ryuji finished getting ready and, doing one final look over at himself, opened the door to the apartment and headed towards the photoshoot.

It took longer than expected for him to reach the place of the photoshoot, but Ryuji was actually early to the event as he checked his phone to see that it was 11:45 a.m. ‘Huh, this is a weird feelin’,’ Ryuji thought to himself as he began looking around the area, hoping to see Akira and Sumire somewhere in the crowd. There were already a good amount of people there, mainly people dressed up fancily and that Ryuji only assumed was part of the agency doing the photoshoot, but there were some regular looking people. In his search, Ryuji did see Ann surrounded by three men wearing a black dress with white accenting her chest. His heart skipped a beat as he saw her, but he quickly turned his head elsewhere, feeling his cheeks heat up. 

“Are you okay, Ryuji?” Akira’s voice rang right in front of the blonde as the blonde stared right at his best friend and his girlfriend. Ryuji couldn’t find any response as he stared at Akira, his heart still beating fast from seeing Ann. “I’ll take your silence as a “no” then,” Akira chuckled as Ryuji finally snapped out of his panic.

“I-I’m fine, dude!” Ryuji exclaimed. ‘Did I really freaking stutter?’ Ryuji internally kicked himself before returning his attention to his friends in front of him, both having wide grins on their faces.

“There’s a lot of people here,” Sumire pointed out, taking Ryuji by surprise. He could have sworn that he was in for more teasing. “This must be a pretty big photo shoot.”

“Ann seemed to be pretty fired up about it, so I think you may be right,” Akira replied, seeming to forget about what just happened with Ryuji. “What say we get closer? It should be starting pretty soon.”

Ryuji and Sumire both nodded in agreement, although Ryuji’s heart began beating even faster. As the three made their way through the crowd, they found a good place to see Ann without getting in anyone’s way. There were four other girls along with Ann, all surrounded by people Ryuji assumed were part of the agency with Ann. 

As he scanned the area, Ryuji caught Ann’s eye and his heart felt like it was going to explode as she smiled at him. Ryuji tried smiling back, but saw Ann look away as a young, professional looking man came up to her.

“Ryuji, are you sure you’ll be fine?” Akira asked again, gently placing his hand on Ryuji’s shoulder. It was then that Ryuji noticed how tense his entire body was, with his fists tight and gritting his teeth. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes and reopening them as he felt himself calm down before meeting Akira’s eyes.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Ryuji tried to give Akira a grin, but even he knew that it was a half-assed attempt. 

“It’s starting, you two!” Sumire exclaimed, causing the two guys to quiet down as flashes of the camera drew their attention towards Ann and the four other girls. Despite his embarrassment, Ryuji couldn’t help but turn his attention towards them, mainly at Ann. 

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get his eyes off her, and even when he was able to tear them away and look at one of the other girls, Ann would strike an even sexier pose showing off her legs or breasts that pulled Ryuji’s attention back towards. 

Throughout the photoshoot, Ryuji couldn’t help but hear people talking around him, mainly about Ann.

“Damn, Ann is really stepping up her game today.”

“I think I’m in love!”

“Do you think she has a boyfriend? If not, what are my chances?”

For the third time in two days, Ryuji grit his teeth in anger, the only thing keeping him calm was Akira and Sumire right beside him. ‘I can’t ruin this for them,’ Ryuji said internally, forcing himself to calm down. 

As it continued, Ann changed outfits three more times; the theme was around spring dresses, and just as Ryuji thought another dress couldn’t make Ann look better she came back out looking somehow even better. When it came time for the final set of photos, Ryuji could barely contain his own excitement; he desperately wanted to see what Ann would be wearing. His heart raced as he saw the curtain Ann was changing behind sway slightly before opening, and he gasped at the sight. She was wearing a short, white dress with flowers at the hem of it. It very clearly showed off a lot of skin, the dress ending around the thighs and the dress showing off a good amount of cleavage. The cameramen began taking pictures of the girls once more, Ann becoming the center of attention again as she radiated confidence. 

At this point Ryuji didn’t bother to try and shift his attention elsewhere; he let his focus be only on Ann. He could barely hear the people around him as he did so, but was unable to make out any of the words as his heart beat faster and faster. As Ryuji continued to stare, he saw Ann look over at him and, before he could avert his eyes, she winked at him. On top of everything that had happened up to this point, this was too much for Ryuji to handle as he took multiple steps backwards, somehow avoiding the people behind him as he stumbled out of Ann’s sight.

“Ryuji!” Sumire called out, looking back as the blonde continued moving away, seeing a dust of pink on his cheeks. She was about to move towards him, but Akira put his hand on her shoulder, getting her attention and just shaking his head. Sumire stared at her boyfriend for a moment before nodding in understanding, turning back around to watch the rest of the photoshoot. Sumire could have sworn that she saw a hint of sadness on Ann’s face before the blonde went back to being happy.

As the photoshoot came to an end, most of the crowd dispersed, not wanting to get in the way of the models and the camera crew. Akira, hand in hand with Sumire, stepped back towards Ryuji, who was leaning nonchalantly on a nearby building. “So, you want to tell us what that was about?” Akira asked his best friend, who shot up from his lean, seemingly like he didn’t see them approach.

“What do you mean?” Ryuji asked, failing to mask his surprise.

“You know, you’re really bad at playing dumb, Ryuji,” Akira sighed. “We saw you suddenly back away towards the end of the photoshoot. Did Ann look at you or something?” Ryuji suddenly became stiff, telling Akira everything he needed to know.

“Oh, speaking of which, here she comes right now!” Sumire exclaimed happily, the two guys following her gaze to see Ann in her normal attire walking towards them.

“Hey guys! I’m so happy you could make it!” Ann said happily, beaming at the three as she stopped next to Sumire. “You look so cute, Sumire!” Sumire blushed slightly as she scratched her cheek in embarrassment. She was wearing one of her new pairs of jean shorts along with her new white blouse, with the new hat and sunglasses finishing off the look 

“Thanks Ann! Akira helped me pick these out yesterday,” Sumire responded, Ann’s attention going to Akira next. 

“Looking great as usual, Akira,” Ann commented. “That isn’t too surprising as you seemingly wear the same thing everytime we go out.” Akira chuckled; she wasn’t exactly wrong, as he was wearing jeans and his normal black undershirt and unbuttoned white dress shirt.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Akira replied as Ann finally shifted her attention to Ryuji, who was looking away and trying, and failing, to whistle.

“I can’t believe it; Ryuji in a polo?” Ann gasped, drawing Ryuji’s attention as she actually sounded surprised.

“Don’t sound so shocked, dammit! I can look good if I want to!” Ryuji shot back, his brow creased up in irritation. 

“Did you dress up nice for me, Ryuji?” Ann asked, leaning forward and catching Ryuji’s eyes as he tried to look down.

“So what if I did?” Ryuji answered back, stunning the three from his honesty.

“Wait, you actually wanted to look good for me?” Ann asked, taken aback and blushing slightly. ‘This seems like a good time as any,’ Akira thought to himself, taking a step forward just as his phone buzzed. ‘Wait, this wasn’t part of the plan.’ The other three teens turned their attention to Akira as he pulled out his phone and answered a call from Sojiro.

“Hey Sojiro, what’s up?” Akira asked.

“Hey kid, I was just wondering if we could talk about what we discussed yesterday some more. I want to learn more about these “persona” things and how you guys pulled off your missions,” Sojiro responded.

“Couldn’t you just have Futaba do that?” Akira responded with a question of his own, the other three now really interested in his conversation.

“I did, but to be honest not a lot made sense to this old brain,” Sojiro chuckled, Akira following suit. “Also I want to hear it come from you, because from what I understand, you’ve been at it the longest.”

“Alright, sounds good to me! Is it okay if Sumire comes with?” Akira asked, Sumire perking up as Ann and Ryuji cocked their heads to the side.

“Can’t be away from your girlfriend for too long, eh? Of course I’m fine with Sumire coming along!” Sojiro poked fun at Akira, the teen rolling his eyes despite Sojiro not able to see it.

“We’ll be there in around ten minutes, Sojiro,” Akira finished the call, the two saying their goodbyes as Akira hung up and put his phone back into his pocket. 

“Senpai, was that Sojiro?” Sumire questioned, looking up curiously at Akira.

“Yeah, he just wants to know more about my time as a Phantom Thief,” Akira responded, Ryuji and Ann becoming even more confused. “Oh right, Sumire and I went to Leblanc yesterday and we discussed my powers. Long story short, Ann, I don’t have full control over it anymore,” Akira answered Ann’s question before she could even ask it. “I can’t really explain in full right now, but just know that it was because of what I did last Christmas.”

“Alright, soooo… you and Sumire are going, you said?” Ryuji asked, a slight amount of disappointment in his voice. 

“Yeah, sorry for cutting today short…” Akira rubbed the back of his head; he knew that he was acting suspiciously, and he needed to find a way out of it. “Hey, you two haven’t hung out in a while, right? This is a great opportunity!” 

Sumire looked at Akira in surprise; this was anything but subtle coming from him. However, before she could interfere, Ann nodded her head enthusiastically.

“That sounds like a great plan, Akira!” Ann exclaimed to Sumire and Ryuji’s surprise. 

“Wait, what?” Ryuji blurted out, panic clear in his eyes. Ann noticed it and grinned, taking a step towards her fellow blonde. 

“What, you scared to hang out alone with me?” Ann teased Ryuji, wrapping her arm around the teen and playfully punched his side.

“H-hell no!” Ryuji stuttered as he broke free of Ann’s grasp. Ann looked surprised for a second before regaining her composure, grinning as she saw Ryuji staring at anything but her. She took another step towards Ryuji, reaching her hands upwards, causing Ryuji to freeze up slightly.

“You do know that you button up polos, right? You look like a slob,” Ann admonished Ryuji as she buttoned up his polo. Sumire and Akira grinned at the two as Ryuji’s head seemed like he was going to screw off with how much he was trying to look anywhere else.

“H-how the hell was I supposed to know that?” Ryuji tried to defend himself, but Ann simply laughed as she took a step back.

“It’s alright Ryuji, you know now,” Ann reassured him, beaming at Ryuji with a wide smile which only made Ryuji even more confused.

“Alright, Sumire and I should be going now,” Akira cut in, receiving the same smile from Ann and what seemed to be a plea for help from Ryuji, but he simply shook his head as he turned around, Sumire next to him as they left the two blondes by themselves. 

‘Shit, this isn’t good,’ Ryuji cursed internally as Ann turned back towards him.

“Are you okay, Ryuji?” Ann asked concernedly. “I saw you back away during my photoshoot and you didn’t look good.”

“That? Oh, that was nothing much to worry about,” Ryuji lied, wincing internally as Ann seemed to grow more concerned. “Well, we should get going, right?” Ryuji quickly added on, attempting to change the subject before Ann could continue prodding him.

“Hmm… alright, you’re right,” Ann eventually said, with Ryuji’s body relaxing slightly and his eyes falling as she backed up from him. “You do look good by the way, Ryuji.”

“H-huh?!” Ryuji sputtered, his eyes shooting open as he felt heat rush back onto his face. “A-alright, cool.”

“Really? Just “cool”?” Ann questioned Ryuji; it was clear that she was irritated with him as she raised her eyebrows.

“Well, what do you want me to say!?” Ryuji nearly shouted back.

“Maybe a thank you?” Ann slammed her foot down, causing Ryuji to wince backwards.

“G-got it… Thank you, Ann,” Ryuji relented, his head and shoulders slumping forward. He couldn’t see it, but Ann blushed at the genuine tone in Ryuji’s voice despite the defeated look on his face. She quickly hid it as he came back up with a flip of her hair.

“Well, you’re welcome,” she stated, looking away from Ryuji with her face, but her eyes wandered back to the blonde as he straightened back up.

“Well, where do you want to go?” Ryuji asked, changing the subject again.

“Hmm… well, I am pretty hungry, so the cafe in Shibuya?” Ann suggested, receiving a somewhat energetic nod from Ryuji.

“Alright! To the cafe we go!” Ryuji announced, turning towards where he came from and began walking, Ann right by his side. An awkward silence fell between the two of them as they walked past the cameramen finishing up deconstructing the equipment. Ryuji felt a knot form in his stomach as they continued walking, occasionally looking over at Ann and catching her eyes, both of them looking away as they did so. ‘Shit, why is my heart beating so fast?’ Ryuji questioned himself internally, even though he knew exactly the reason why. 

They continued walking like this until they neared the train station, when Ann suddenly stopped. “What’s wrong?” Ryuji questioned, cocking his head to the side as he also stopped.

“I… I thought I heard something,” Ann answered, looking around at the surroundings.

“Eh, it was probably your imagination. Come on, let’s get going or we’ll miss the train,” Ryuji replied, shrugging as he turned back around.

“But… hmm, you might be right…” Ann began to try and argue with Ryuji, but gave up as she saw Ryuji about to descend the stairs and followed after him. However, they both stopped as they heard a bone chilling scream nearby.

“Y-you heard that, right?” Ryuji shakily asked as he turned around, face to face with Ann.

“Yeah, that was the thing I heard! Ryuji, someone could be in trouble!” Ann exclaimed and, before Ryuji could stop her, she was already running towards the source of the scream. ‘Dammit… I should text Akira just in case shit goes south here,’ Ryuji thought as he chased after Ann, pulling out his phone and hastily putting together a message to his friend as he ran. 

“What the–?” Ryuji shouted out as he looked up from his phone, stopping dead in his tracks; at the end of the alley were two monstrous creatures towering over an unconscious woman. They were identical to each other, a good foot and a half taller than Ryuji and with a sword and shield where their arms should have been. Ryuji saw one of the monsters raising its blade-like arm into the air and, hitting send on his message, rushed forward towards the monsters. He passed by Ann, who was still standing still, but knew that he couldn’t make it in time as the monster’s arm began its descent.

“Ryuji!” Ann screamed out, closing her eyes as she saw Ryuji dive towards the woman. However, she felt her clothes change suddenly and a mask appear on her face, causing her to open her eyes and gasp. Ryuji was now standing above the woman, Imprisoned Mjolnir in his hands as he held off the monster’s blade arm.

“Ann, take the woman and get out of here!” Ryuji shouted at Ann, his eyes flashing yellow as he pushed the monster back, making it stumble as the other monster, exactly the same as the monster Ryuji shoved backwards, stabbed forward with its sword arm. Ryuji was barely able to dodge, the blade still catching part of his shoulder, sending him backwards. 

“No!” Ann screeched as Ryuji slid to a stop, grasping his shoulder with his other hand; the cloth around the wound was ripped, and she could see a deep cut made by the creature's sword arm and blood oozing down his arm. Both monsters turned to face Ryuji, slamming their sword-like arms into their other arm, which, to Ann, looked like a shield. 

The monsters took a step towards Ryuji, who shakily stood back up and reached up to his mask with his good hand. “William!” he shouted, ripping off his mask as one of the monsters rushed forward. A flash of blue flames surrounded Ryuji and the monster before dispersing as quickly as it came, revealing Ryuji’s persona blocking the monster’s sword with its hand cannon. “Ziodyne!” 

Suddenly, a large amount of electricity began gathering around William’s hand cannon and, before the monster could react, a large ball of electricity shot out of it, slamming into the monster’s chest and sending it flying backwards. 

“Ann, what are you waiting for?!” Ryuji screamed out as he willed William forward in front of the woman as the other monster attempted to crush her with its foot, the ship’s helm slamming into the monster and making it also stumble backwards. Ryuji made eye contact with Ann, and knew instantly what she was going to say.

“I’m not going to leave you behind, Ryuji!” Ann shouted back as she ran towards Ryuji, standing tall next to him as the two monsters corrected themselves and let out loud roars simultaneously, forcing the two teens to cover their ears. Before either of them could react, the monster that William blasted away sliced at William’s torso, the persona unable to dodge the attack in time. 

“Gah!” Ryuji screamed in agony as he reached up for his own chest, William disappearing as the teen fell to his knees.

“Celestine! Agidyne!” Ann shouted as she ripped off her own mask, a pillar of fire shooting out from her newly formed persona’s hand as she stepped in front of Ryuji. The pillar of fire hit the monster that attacked William head on, only to be stopped short by it’s shield-like arm. As Celestine focused on that, the other monster approached Ann and threatened to slam its sword down on both her, Ryuji, and the woman. ‘Shit!’ Ann screamed internally as she thought fast, grabbing hold of her Dainaraka Whip and cracking forward. The whip wrapped around the blade arm, and, instead of trying to stop it outright, she redirected it, making the blade slam into the ground. She saw that it was now stuck as the monster struggled to free itself, so Ann pulled out Gugnir and fired the entire clip into the monster’s skull. Or, at least, that’s where she was aiming but this one also put up its shield-like arm, the bullets plinking off with only leaving scratch marks on the shield.

“Ann, watch out!” Ryuji coughed up blood, causing Ann to shift her attention back to the other monster as it was growing closer to Celestine despite the constant stream of flames firing at it. In one motion, Ann commanded Celestine to stop, pick up Ryuji and the woman, and retreat backwards. Also jumping backwards, Ann narrowly avoided a kick from the monster with its sword arm stuck in the ground, landing right next to Ryuji as Celestine put both him and the woman back down.

“This isn’t good,” Ann whispered, mainly to herself as she saw the two monsters begin to rush towards her. ‘Attacking them head on won’t work because of those shields, and they won’t give me enough time to heal Ryuji,’ she thought as Celestine threw two fireballs at the monsters, forcing them to raise their shield arms and slide back from the force of the attacks, giving Ann a little bit more time. ‘Wait, they do look like they're taking damage! At least a little bit,’ Ann’s mind continued to race for a solution before noticing that a weird black substance was dripping from the monsters.

“But what can I do to them?” Ann questioned herself, feeling helpless as the two monsters shook off the attack and had their eyes on her.

“Ann, don’t give in!” Ryuji shouted through gritted teeth. Ann looked over at Ryuji and gasped as he spat out blood; his face was pale, and he was still clutching the open gash on his shoulder. “Don’t worry about me, dammit! You got it in yourself to beat those bastards!”

“Ryuji…” Ann breathed out, meeting his eyes; she saw nothing but confidence in them, confidence in her, and she felt her heart begin to beat faster. However, she also felt an immense power begin to awaken.

_ ‘So, are you prepared finally to attach yourself to someone else?’ _ a voice echoed within Ann’s mind, but she didn’t falter as she knew exactly who it was. 

“I’ve made up my mind, Celestine,” Ann answered back, her eyes lighting up bright red as the flames in Celestine rose even higher up. The monsters continued their rush forward, both of them putting up their shield arms as they saw Celestine put both of her arms forward. Ann took a deep breath in, letting her mind focus entirely on this next attack. 

“Lover’s Eruption!” Ann yelled over the battlefield, the fire in her eyes becoming even more intense as she let her weapons fall to the ground, bringing her own arms up as fire began coalescing in her hands. The monster on the left saw the buildup of the attack and stopped in its tracks, letting the other continue the approach with its shield arm still up. The flames continued to swirl within Ann and Celestine’s hands when, with a shout, four concentrated beams of burning flames shot from the two, meeting directly in the middle of the monster’s shield. However, this time, a crack formed immediately from the concentrated attack, growing wider and larger as they kept up the attack.

‘Wait, Erupti-’ Ryuji began to think before seeing a wave of molten magma fire along the beam of flames, meeting at the monster’s shield all at the same time. At that moment, the monster’s shield arm completely shattered, leaving it vulnerable as the magma collided with one another, creating a massive explosion that narrowly avoided destroying the buildings. However, the monster wasn’t so lucky as its corpse fell to the ground with a thud, parts of its body still on fire as smoke rose up from it.

“Holy shit…” Ryuji breathed out, forgetting about his own injuries as he got to his feet. “Ann, that was effing incredible!”

“Save it for later, Ryuji!” Ann cut him off, turning her head towards Ryuji and failing to suppress a smile. “But tha-”

Before she could finish her sentence, the other monster slammed its shield arm into Celestine, sending the persona to the ground and phasing out of existence as Ann collapsed.

“Ann!” Ryuji screamed, catching her before she hit the ground but wincing from the sudden rush of pain from his injured shoulder. 

“S-sorry Ryuji, y-you have to f-finish this,” Ann stuttered as she was barely able to stay conscious.

Ryuji looked up to see the other monster nearly upon them, and kicked off the ground with Ann in his arms. They narrowly avoided the sword arm impaling the ground where they just were, the monster getting stuck once again. However, Ryuji landed on his bad shoulder, crying out in pain as he felt dirt get into his open wound. 

“Fuck…” Ryuji cursed as he gently laid Ann on the ground next to him, the girl looking at him concernedly but unable to do anything else to help him as he tried to push himself up. However, his arm began to give out, causing him to fall slightly but able to catch himself before he hit the ground. “God dammit!”

“Ryu...ji,” was all Ann could say as she reached out and placed her hand on top of Ryuji’s, causing him to look over at her. All she could muster was a weak smile, but that was more than enough for Ryuji to feel re-energized. He was going to end this, no matter what. Adrenaline flowing through his veins, he brought his foot forward and slammed it to the ground, pushing himself up with his good arm before slamming his other foot onto the ground, the concrete cracking underneath him as he did so. 

_ ‘So, are you finally done running away from the truth held within you?’ _ the voice that had been plaguing Ryuji for the last couple of days clearly echoed within his mind, and it finally made sense what it was. A grin covered Ryuji’s dirty face as he turned to face the monster, which had just freed itself from the ground.

“Hell yeah I am!” Ryuji shouted as electricity began crackling within his eyes, his power coursing through him as he reached up for his mask, summoning William once again as the monster began to charge at him.

“Let’s do this William! Chariot’s Charge!” he roared as he began sprinting forward, taking a leap into the air as William shot towards him, landing firmly onto the persona’s shoulder. Electricity began crackling around the giant persona, quickly surrounding it and Ryuji. The monster raised it’s shield arm up, stopping in its tracks as William continued its approach. “Won’t do anything, ya bastard!” 

The electric ball slammed into the monster, breaking the shield instantly and sending the monster flying backwards. “William!” Ryuji commanded, jumping off his persona’s shoulder and landing onto its hand as they rushed towards the helpless shadow. “Faster!”

William did just that, leaving behind a trail of electricity as it shot forward, becoming a blur as the two caught up to the monster. Just before it could hit one of the surrounding buildings, William stuck out its arm with Ryuji on it so its user could smash the monster straight into the air with Imprisoned Mjolnir, ignoring the burning pain from his shoulder.

Ryuji let his melee weapon drop as William lowered its arm down before launching Ryuji sky high after the monster. “Finish it, Ryuji!” Ann called out weakly, regaining enough strength to get to her knees. Pulling out Megido Blaster from seemingly nowhere, Ryuji began slowing down as he and the monster reached the apex of their flight and pointed the gun directly in the face of the monster. Ryuji’s eyes turned pure yellow as his form wavered slightly, William’s doing the same as Megido Blaster seemed to turn into its arm cannon for a split second before returning to form. However, Ryuji stayed the same as William disappeared from reality, a massive amount of electricity gathering within Megido Blaster.

“Take this!” Ryuji roared as he pulled the trigger, letting loose a massive beam of pure electricity that destroyed the monster instantly and shot through the air and off into space. “Hell… yeah…” Ryuji said as he lost consciousness from the combined effects of loss of blood along with the immense amount of energy expended and beginning to hurtle back down to earth.

“No… Ryuji!” Ann screamed weakly, trying to summon Celestine as the other blonde was nearing the ground rapidly but unable to from severe mental exhaustion. “No!”

“Raoul!” A familiar voice roared as a flash of red shot out, catching Ryuji just before he hit the ground.

“Akira, Sumire!” Ann exclaimed as she saw the two rush towards her and Ryuji as Raoul set him down beside her.

“Thank god we got here in ti- what the hell is that?” Akira interrupted himself as he saw the corpse of the monster Ann killed.

“I… I don’t know…” Ann responded, her vision beginning to blur with tears as she stared at Ryuji. ‘I can at least manage this,’ she thought as she tried pushing a Diarama out and through Ryuji’s body, the green energy swirling around him as normal but something seemed… off. His wounds weren’t healing at all; in fact, the only thing that seemed to happen was the blood flow slowing down slightly.

“Why… why isn’t it working?” Ann cried as she weakly clung to Ryuji’s body. Sumire walked forward, her evoker glowing a bright white as she summoned Ella and casted Diarahan, but again his wounds didn’t fully heal, only closing up slightly. Before any of the three could question as to why, they heard two sets of footsteps behind them.

“It won’t work, or at least how you want it to,” the voice, all too familiar to them, called out from behind. Akira and Sumire both turned around to face Minato Arisato with Aigis right next to him.

“What do you mean by that, Minato?” Akira asked the older man, who walked past him and knelt right in front of Ryuji.

“Well, healing spells aren’t as effective in reality as they are in… the Metaverse, correct? Anyways, they’ll heal some of his wounds, but they won’t heal him completely,” Minato informed the three, reaching down and picking Ryuji up. “I’ll take him to our headquarters, we should be able to get him fixed up. You guys should head home for the d-”

“No! I’m going with Ryuji!” Ann objected before Minato could even finish his statement, making him throw up his eyebrows in surprise. “I need to make sure he’s okay, so please, let me come with you!”

Minato seemed to consider his options when Aigis walked up beside him and reached for his hand still holding Ryuji.

“Minato, I believe we should take them with us,” Aigis said, looking directly into Minato’s eyes. “They deserve to know what’s happening.” This seemed to get through to him as he sighed and nodded his head towards Ann.

“Alright, you three come with us,” Minato said, turning his back as he and Aigis began walking towards their car.

“Wait, what about the woman?” Sumire called out to them.

“She’s uninjured, just unconscious. She will however remember those monsters,” Minato responded, turning around to look at the dead monster. “Akira, could you make that other one “disappear” as well?”

Akira nodded as he approached the burnt corpse and placed his hand on the monster. Suddenly, a wave of dark red energy coursed throughout the corpse, eventually destroying it entirely. Standing back upright, Akira turned towards the woman and his eyes began to glow purple.

“Makajama,” Akira whispered as purple energy swirled around and hit the woman, who was beginning to stir. However, she woke up to see no one around her as she looked confusedly around her.

The four former Phantom Thieves followed Minato and Aigis to a limousine, with Minato laying Ryuji across numerous seats. Ann, who was being supported by Sumire and Akira, broke free from them, stumbling forward and into the vehicle. She crawled across the seats and next to Ryuji, immediately running her hand across his face. Akira and Sumire followed suit, with Minato and Aigis being the last to enter.

Silence permeated the air as Ann tended to Ryuji, applying some bandages that Aigis gave her as the limousine began moving. Her attention didn’t waver at all from Ryuji the entire ride, occasionally running her hand across his face and stroking his cheek.

Akira grabbed hold of Sumire’s hand as he saw her looking at their two friends, squeezing it to get her attention. Sumire looked over at Akira and smiled sadly before resting her head on Akira’s shoulder. No words were spoken between the two, but they both had the same thought as they looked over at Ryuji: it reminded them too much of the fight with YHWH.

The rest of the ride was entirely uneventful except for Ann looking over Ryuji the entire way. Finally, the limousine came to a stop, and Minato and Aigis were the first to take a step out as the door opened. Akira and Sumire were the next to get up, Akira turning around and offering Ann his hand but, to his surprise, the blonde stood up on her own and climbed past them. Akira and Sumire followed her out of the vehicle as Minato opened the door next to Ryuji and picked him up, letting the driver close the door behind him as he began walking. It was at this point that Akira, Sumire, and Ann realized how big the building was in front of them; it was hyper-futuristic looking, being made of nothing but marble and industrial strength glass. The persona users made their way towards the building, following closely behind Minato as he approached a door with a black pad next to it with a scanner above it. With Ryuji still in his arms, Minato leaned over and opened his eyes wide open, allowing it to be scanned. Within five seconds, the door opened up, allowing them access.

The former Thieves barely looked around them as their main focus was on Ryuji and Ann, who was still limping but keeping up with Minato and Ryuji. They all made their way through some winding hallways, going through several doors with similar security put in place, until they reached a hospital-like room. As they entered, several doctors rushed towards Minato and Ann, two of them taking hold of Ryuji as Minato transferred him over to them and the others looking over Ann.

“I know it’s mainly just exhaustion, but you should still get checked over,” Minato informed Ann, who nodded solemnly, not wanting to argue any further. As the group of doctors led Ann and carried Ryuji to adjacent beds, Minato motioned for Akira and Sumire out of the room. “We can’t let anyone not being addressed by them to be in here or it could interrupt their work.”

Akira and Sumire nodded, letting Minato and Aigis pass before following them out of the room, leaving Ann and Ryuji alone with the doctors.

Once the door shut, the doctors took to looking over Ann and Ryuji. The ones looking over Ann soon realized that it was just mental exhaustion and some bruising, and that she would recover without their assistance. However, Ryuji was the center of most of their attention, more and more doctors being called over until he was completely surrounded. Unable to stay awake any longer, Ann passed out despite her worry for Ryuji.

“Ah!” Ann gasped as her eyes shot back open; from when she went to sleep to now felt like no time had passed at all, but she could tell quite a bit of time had gone by as no doctors were in sight. She tried lifting her head and, to her surprise, she was able to with relative ease. Her attention immediately shifted over to Ryuji, who was still unconscious but seemed to be doing a lot better. Ann felt herself tear up again; seeing him like this was still hard, especially remembering his cries of pain from earlier. But she also remembered how he stood back up and protected her, and felt her heart flutter for a second. However, her thoughts were interrupted as Ryuji began to stir, and she knew that he was about to wake up. Without a second thought, Ann swung her legs off the bed and got up to walk over to Ryuji’s bed. 

“Mm…” Ryuji murmured as his eyes slowly opened to see that he wasn’t outside anymore but instead in a hospital of sorts. As they fully opened, he could see a blurry head looking down at him a few feet above his own head. He didn’t have to guess who it was as two pigtails hit his face, to which he let out a little chuckle, grasping his chest as he felt a slight amount of pain shoot through him.

“Ryuji…” he heard Ann’s voice above him, the hair over his face being pulled back to reveal Ann’s face. Ryuji blinked a few times until his vision focused and he could see tears in the corners of Ann’s eyes.

“Hey, there’s no need for that,” Ryuji softly said, figuring it best to not tease her about her crying; he learned his lesson from after Shido. “I’m alright, so everything’s go-H-huh?!”

Ryuji was cut off as Ann threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his body and squeezing him tightly. “H-hey, you’re squeezing a little too tightly here,” Ryuji said, Ann loosening her grip just slightly, but still having her head buried in Ryuji’s chest.

“Stop doing that,” Ann’s muffled voice barely reached Ryuji’s ears, but he could hear her clearly enough.

“I’m sorry for worrying you Ann,” Ryuji replied, hesitantly placing his hand on Ann’s shoulder in an attempt to reassure her. He expected Ann to move away at this point, but instead she tightened her grip ever so slightly. “Wh-what? Ann, shouldn’t you have let go at this point?”

“Just shut up and let me have this moment,” Ann muttered into Ryuji’s chest, but this time he couldn’t catch all of it.

“What does th-mph” Ryuji began, but couldn’t finish as Ann’s lips suddenly locked with his. His eyes widened in surprise as Ann’s face was so close to his when he fully realized what was happening and his body began to relax. The two held the kiss for a while, neither of them daring to break it until Ann finally moved slightly back, still inches away from Ryuji’s head.

“I love you, Ryuji,” Ann whispered, holding Ryuji’s head in both her hands. “I have for a while, but I never wanted to admit it.” At this point both their hearts were racing, but both of the blondes held eye contact.

“Ann… I love you too, Ann,” Ryuji admitted, a smile crossing his face as he tried to wrap his arms around Ann’s waist, but his injured shoulder wouldn’t let one of his arms move. “And… the same is true for me; I’ve loved you ever since two years ago when this all started.”

Ryuji grinned and shook his head a little bit, causing a frown to cross Ann’s face. “What Ryuji?” she asked innocently.

“I can’t believe it; after all this time of trying to land other girls, the one of my dreams was right in front of me the whole time,” Ryuji chuckled, again stopping short as his shoulder began hurting. A light blush formed on Ann’s face as she stared at Ryuji in disbelief.

“Have you always been this smooth?” Ann questioned her now boyfriend, raising both eyebrows as he shook his head.

“Nope; I’ve tried to get other girls multiple times before, but never once have I said anything like that,” Ryuji joked, Ann giggling at him as she gently pushed him back onto the bed and leaning down above him. “Ann?”

“Shh, don’t say anything,” Ann hushed Ryuji, putting a finger on his lips before kissing him again, this time more aggressively. After a moment of shock, Ryuji attempted to return the kiss, but his body was still weak. Ann pulled back and grinned at Ryuji, who was speechless at this point. However, whatever she was planning would have to wait as both her and Ryuji’s eyes began to droop again, both of them letting out a yawn. 

“Heh, are you gonna sleep with me?” Ryuji asked after letting out another yawn. To his surprise, Ann nodded as she scooched Ryuji to the side just enough so she had room and wiggled up close to him.

“I love you, Ryuji,” Ann whispered, kissing Ryuji on the lips, pulling back to see his content face.

“I love you too, Ann,” Ryuji responded in kind, kissing Ann back on the lips before wrapping his good arm around her, pulling her even closer. The warmth of both their bodies soothed them, and their eyes quickly fell, sending them into a happy slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters today! Stuff is getting real again, and I know many of you will bring up that poll I made on reddit. While I did say that this would be mainly fluff, that was before I finalized the idea for this fic. I apologize if this chapter and fic isn't exactly what you want, but trust me when I say that there will still be plenty of fluff and wholesome moments ahead.
> 
> Recommended fic time:  
> Echo of the Forgotten by MrzGrumpy - https://archiveofourown.org/works/24981250
> 
> Royal Rivals: The Quartet - https://archiveofourown.org/works/24695260
> 
> Series by RainyDays(SunsetHours): Always Together: A Ren and Sumire Romance - https://archiveofourown.org/series/1825528


	5. A Talk with the Shadow Ops

After taking one final look back at his two blonde friends, Akira turned around to follow Minato. The futuristic door, which only reminded him of Okumura’s palace, closed behind them and locked with a metallic thud, but he didn’t feel any concern; he trusted Minato. 

“Mitsuru has some new information, so me and Aigis are heading towards the main control room. She also wants you and Sumire to come with, Akira,” Minato informed the couple, receiving a pair of head nods as he and Aigis began walking. As he and Sumire followed Aigis and Minato, Akira took a look around at his surroundings in slight amazement; the interior of the Shadow Ops headquarters was something out of a sci-fi film. Everything was made out of perfectly white marble; the floors, walls, and ceilings the same white. 

“Hey Minato, what is that room for?” Akira asked as they passed by crystal clear windows showing a long, well lit room on the other side. Numerous people in white lab coats were moving around the room with computer screens attached along the wall; however, Akira couldn’t quite see what was on the screens, but saw that a lot of information was displayed along with digital models of what looked like his and Sumire’s evokers.

“This is where our specialists develop new anti-shadow technology, similar to the evokers you two have,” Minato replied plainly, barely moving his head to look back at Akira and Sumire. Akira took another look into the room and noticed numerous objects on a long white table in the middle of the room; there were multiple items laid out orderly on the table, one especially catching Akira’s eye. It seemed like a plain white glasses case with “Shadow Ops'' etched into it, but Akira knew better to assume that was the case. However, as he turned his attention back to Minato to ask further questions, Akira realized that they were at the end of the long hallway and in front of another futuristic door. Minato leaned down again to scan his eye, opening the door to reveal a large open room with a large round table in the center of it. 

As Minato and Aigis entered with Akira and Sumire right behind, the two former Thieves noticed two familiar faces sitting at the table with another standing at the front of the room in front of a touch screen control panel. Mitsuru Kirijo and Akihiko Sanada got up from their seats, staring directly at the four while Fuuka Yamagishi turned away from the panel to also look at them. Akira noticed immediately that Mitsuru and Fuuka were both wearing white uniforms with “Shadow Operatives” etched in black over their right breasts with their skirts stopping right before their ankles, but Akihiko was wearing a black uniform with “Shadow Operatives” in white that was fitted so that it was skintight. It seemed to Akira more like a combat uniform than anything else as Akihiko was also outfitted with a pair of white gauntlets made of stainless steel. 

Akihiko noticed Akira staring at his gauntlets, and flashed a grin over at the college student. “I’ve gotta be ready at all times, kid,” Akihiko said as he tightened the gauntlets’ straps. Akira’s eyes shot up to Akihiko’s face, to which the older man just chuckled at him. A light cough stopped his laughter as everyone’s attention went to Mitsuru.

“Akira, Sumire, it’s good to see you two doing well,” Mitsuru nodded at the two teens, clearly noticing the dull gleam of their evokers. 

“Right back at you, Mitsuru,” Akira responded as Minato and Aigis took seats at the table. Taking Sumire’s hand, Akira led her over and sat down as well next to Aigis. Akihiko did the same as Mitsuru walked past him and towards Fuuka and the control panel, staring up at the large screen on the wall. “So, what’s the information you found?” Instead of giving him an answer, Mitsuru continued walking towards Fuuka, stopping right next to the light blue haired woman.

“Fuuka, if you will,” Mitsuru nodded at Fuuka, who nodded back and, after tapping away on the screen for a few moments, two images of the dead monster they saw earlier flashing on the screen, rotating around and moving slightly as if still alive and rotating.

Akira could see them clearly now; the monsters were covered in some sort of grey armor covering their black skin. Their eyes were a piercing red with the same red seemingly pulsing throughout their body, mainly their chest and sword arm. Leaning forward onto the cold glass table, Akira saw some parts of the grey armor seemed to be mechanical, almost man-made. Another thing he noticed was the sludginess he had attributed to Shadows before removing their masks.

“Thanks to our scanners along with Minato’s IRIS, we were able to re-create hyper realistic images of these Shadows to study,” Misturu’s voice cut through Akira’s thoughts, drawing his attention towards the redhead. 

“Wait, IRIS? And these things are Shadows?” Akira asked, instantly regretting it as Mitsuru’s brow creased in annoyance.

“If you would let me continue, I will explain both of those things,” Mitsuru said calmly, staring straight through Akira. After a few moments of Akira staying silent, Mitsuru nodded in satisfaction before looking back up at the Shadows.

“First, to answer your question about the IRIS: it is one of our newest technologies, composed of computerized contacts that are connected directly with our main terminal that can allow the user access to most of the world’s database, including civilian information. Another major component of them are miniscule ear pieces that allow for communication from any distance along with the ability for enhanced hearing.”

Akira and Sumire sat with their mouths open in amazement; there was technology like that? However, before Akira could comment, Mitsuru continued on.

“Now, onto your second question: yes, these things are indeed Shadows,” Mitsuru said, motioning again at Fuuka, who tapped a button on the control panel and the entire screen zoomed into one of the Shadows. “However, as I’m sure you could tell, these Shadows are partially mechanical as if a human interacted and altered their appearance; however, there is little evidence besides this to signify that this is the case.”

“If I may, Mitsuru,” Akira said hesitantly, raising his hand slowly into the air. 

“Yes, Akira?” Mitsuru replied, nodding towards Akira for him to continue on.

“During my time as Phantom Thief, we encountered numerous Shadows with mechanical parts on their bodies, so it could have been a normal Shadow like one of those,” Akira explained, this time all the Shadow Ops members listening closely to him. The main Shadow Akira had in mind was Fafnir with its seemingly mechanical belt.

Mitsuru put her hand up to her chin and closed her eyes in thought. “Hmm… That would be the most likely situation, but that still leaves us with more questions: mainly, how and why did they appear in reality?” Mitsuru stated, reopening her eyes and scanning the room to receive anyone’s input. However, no one spoke up as they were all deep in thought. After a few moments of no one giving an answer, Mitsuru straightened back up.

“Those are the two questions we are going to try and answer,” she confidently said, receiving nods from everyone in the room, including Akira and Sumire. 

“What do you want us to do, Mitsuru?” Akira asked, a sudden burst of determination filling his eyes. 

“Well, what the Shadow Ops are going to do is investigate this potential threat,” Mitsuru replied, emphasizing Shadow Ops, which Akira clearly noticed. However, he let her continue on. “You two, nor any other persona user, will get involved in this.” Mitsuru put up her hand as Akira opened his mouth to protest, stopping him before he even got a chance to say anything. “I know that you want to help, but you have your own life to live right now. However, because this is you we’re talking about, I’ll allow you and Sumire to confront these Shadows if confrontation is unavoidable. However, we have ways to know of these attacks and are at standby at all times, so I pray that won’t need to happen.”

Akira stared directly at Mitsuru, as if testing his will against her, when he felt Sumire’s hand squeeze his. He didn’t need to look over to tell that Sumire was staring directly at him, pleading for him to agree. After a few moments of weighing his choices, Akira eventually nodded in agreement. “Alright, I won’t get involved, and neither will my team” Akira said, letting out a sigh in defeat.

“Thank you. And please, if at all possible, do not tell your other friends about this. I understand that you wish for them to be prepared if something were to happen, but we do not wish to cause a panic among them.”

“I can’t promise you that,” Akira replied, Sumire glancing up nervously to see Akira’s eyes were completely serious.

“Hm… Very well, then I shall request that you keep this silent until we get a better grasp on the situation. Perhaps a month or two.”

Akira stared at Mitsuru, an almost defiant look in his eyes as he saw hers was filled with a mixture of pleading and confidence, and he let out a sigh after a few moments. “Alright.” “Thank you, Akira.” Mitsuru nodded at Akira before turning around towards the terminal and tapping three times on it. Suddenly, the two images of the monsters faded until they could barely be seen as the words “Aberrated Shadows” flashed onto the screen in front of them.

‘Aberrated… to change, huh?’ Akira thought to himself as Mitsuru turned back around to face him and Sumire.

“I believe it essential to know and identify the names of our enemies and, even though you won’t be participating in the investigation, it is vital that, if you do encounter one of these Shadows, you tell us immediately,” Mitsuru informed Akira and Sumire before continuing on. “They have been given the name Aberrated Shadows due to the fact that, even though they are Shadows, their appearance in reality along with the slight difference in energy. We will shorten the name, however, to just Aberrations,” Mitsuru explained with the other Shadow Ops members nodding along with her. Akira slowly nodded as his mind naturally began trying to piece together why these Aberrations existed in the first place. However, before he could even begin his train of thought, Mitsuru let out another cough to pull back his attention.

“Akira, I believe you already told me you wouldn’t get involved,” Mitsuru said, her eyes piercing through Akira and sending a slight shiver throughout his body. “Just let us handle this, okay?” Sighing in defeat, Akira fully relinquished the fact that he would have no part in this investigation as he deliberately nodded his head yet again. Satisfied with the answer, Mitsuru lifted up her arm and stared down at her wrist, which had a very modern watch on it, and tapped twice on the screen. The watch lit up, and Akira could see Mitsuru’s eyes scanning the small screen before nodding to herself and turning off the watch. “Now that that’s all taken care of, I’ve just received word that your two friends should be all rested up and that… Ryuji, was it? That he should make a full recovery within just a couple of days.”

“Wait, really?” Sumire asked. “He was badly injured though, wasn’t he?”

“Trust me when I say that we have some of the best doctors in the world here,” Akihiko chuckled, drawing the two teens’ attention to him. “I’ve gotten myself beaten up here and there a couple of times, and those guys and their amazing tech has gotten me back to my feet nearly instantly every time.”

To prove his point, Akihiko raised up his black uniform to reveal his stomach, pointing towards numerous deep scars. Akira glanced over at Sumire, expecting some sort of embarrassment from her, but there was nothing but intrigue on her face. Grinning slightly, Akira returned his own attention back to the silver haired man, who had rolled back down his shirt. “Almost all of those were healed up by those docs; I wouldn’t be surprised if he was fully healed up by tomorrow.”

While Akira believed Akihiko, he looked around the room for affirmation that the man was telling the truth and received nods from the rest of the Shadow Ops members.

“Can we go see them then?” Akira asked as he got up from his seat.

“Wait, Akira,” Minato suddenly took a step forward, slightly surprising the younger holder of the Universe Arcana. “We have sensors that told us that there was a shadow attack going on, but you two beat us there. If I may, how did you know that those two were in trouble?”

Akira smiled a little as he pulled out his phone and showed Minato the text he received from Ryuji. 

_ Akira, I need you to give me and Ann our powers right no _

“When I saw that text, I suddenly felt my bonds with them, the Lovers and Chariot Arcana, grow restless, which at that point I knew they were actually in trouble,” Akira informed the Shadow Ops members. All of them but Minato seemed surprised by this as the blue haired man simply nodded his head.

“Thanks for letting me know, Akira,” was all Minato said before walking towards the door they entered from, putting his hands back into his pockets. “Now, let’s go to those two so you guys can get going. It’s been a long day for everyone.” Akira and Sumire both nodded in agreement as Minato opened up the door, Akira taking Sumire’s hand before following Minato. The three walked in silence as they passed by the same facilities they walked by earlier. As they went by the room Akira noticed before, he figured now would be best to ask about those glasses.

“Hey Minato, I noticed a white case within the room you said creates new equipment. If you don’t mind me asking, what are those for?” Akira asked as the three passed by the room yet again, the same amount of people in white coats bustling around as before.

“ Mitsuru is the only one that knows what that does currently out of the main members,” Minato responded, not even bothering to turn his head nor slow down as he talked. “She’s the leader of the Shadow Ops. I only know that they are designed after glasses used by other persona users.”

“Wait, there are others like us?” Sumire asked, now peering into the room as well out of curiosity. 

“Apparently,” Minato shrugged. “I was the Great Seal ever since The Fall was supposed to happen, so I’m still getting caught up on everything I missed.”

Akira nodded solemnly; he missed quite a lot when he lost his body, so he couldn’t imagine being behind eight years. However, their conversation came to an end as they came up to the door where Ryuji and Ann were resting.

As Minato opened the door, Akira saw two blonde heads in what was supposed to be Ryuji’s bed, and instantly smiled; all his and Sumire’s work paid off. When the door was fully opened, the three took a step into the room and Sumire nearly squealed in a mix of shock and delight when she laid eyes on Ryuji and Ann sleeping together. Akira tried to quiet her down so as to not disturb them, but he was too late as the two blondes began to stir.

“Mm?” Ann groaned as she turned onto her back and rubbed her eyes before slowly opening them. It took her a second to fully see and acknowledge the three people staring at her and Ryuji, and her entire face turned red. “Wh-what are you guys doing here?!” she shouted at them in surprise, unintentionally jolting Ryuji awake.

“What’s up, Ann?” he asked groggily, shifting his body so that he was resting on his elbows. Just like Ann, he took a little bit to fully realize what was happening, but when he did come to, he just smiled at a grinning Akira.

“You two are finally a thing now I see,” Akira teased them both. Ann began to try and explain, but she felt Ryuji shift even more and immediately looked over in concern.

“Ryuji, you shouldn’t be moving so mu- Huh?” Ann began to worry over Ryuji before realizing that he was moving with relative ease as he fully sat upright.

“Wow, so Akihiko-senpai was right…” Sumire whispered to herself in amazement as Ryuji tentatively moved his previously injured shoulder around.

“The hell?” Ryuji questioned as he stared in disbelief at his nearly fully healed shoulder. 

“Our doctors are very experienced,” Minato said simply, drawing everyone’s attention just as he turned back towards the door. “I can arrange a ride back to Shibuya. It’s time for you all to go back.” However, Akira shook his head to Minato’s mild surprise.

“Would it be possible for us to be dropped off in Yongen-Jaya? I can bet that Sojiro is worried as is…” Akira trailed off; he and Sumire left the older man in kind of a rush, with next to no information other than “Ryuji and Ann are in trouble”. 

“Right, we did leave him in a rush,” Sumire added on. Minato simply nodded as he pulled out his phone and seemed to text someone. It was only a few seconds before he put his phone back into his pocket and returned his gaze back onto the former Thieves.

“Alright, the limousine should be ready outside,” Minato informed the four. 

“Wait, we get to ride in a limousine?!” Ryuji shouted in excitement, his face suddenly becoming very animated.

“You were unconscious, but we rode here in one,” Akira replied to his best friend, noticing that Ann had her face buried in her hands in embarrassment. However, he could see that she was grinning underneath them. He and Sumire walked over to the new couple and reached out for both their hands. “Here, we should get going.” Ann and Ryuji took their hands, getting to their feet with ease and turned towards the door. Ann’s face was still pink with embarrassment, but she moved close to Ryuji as she saw Akira grab Sumire’s hand just as Minato began walking towards the door. 

The five quickly made their way out of the complex, and Akira noticed immediately that the sun was beginning to fall and checked the time. ‘7 p.m, huh? This has been a long day,’ he thought to himself as Minato led them to the nearest limousine and opened the door for them.

“Goodbye for now,” Minato said as he ushered Ryuji, Ann, and Sumire into the limousine before making eye contact with Akira.

“Goodluck, Minato,” Akira said, receiving a nod from Minato. “I’ll uphold my promise.” Akira finished with holding out his hand towards the blue haired man, who took it without question. Within both of them they felt the Universe Arcana pulse with power, to which both of them grinned, Minato doing so inwardly, before breaking the handshake and Akira entered into the limousine. Giving a thumbs up to the driver, Minato was soon left alone in the front of the Shadow Operatives HQ and turned around to head back inside.

“Akira, Sumire, do you two know what’s going on?” Ann asked nearly immediately as the limousine began moving, intense curiosity on both her and Ryuji’s face. To their surprise, Akira sighed as he shook his head.

“I made a promise to stay uninvolved in this whole mess, so I don’t know much other than those things you guys fought are called Aberrations,” Akira replied with a half lie; he just wasn’t sure how much he could tell the others. ‘These two were directly involved, but Mitsuru asked to hold off on giving out information to the others…’

“Aberrations?” Ann questioned, tilting her head to the side in confusion. “Weren’t those things just shadows?”

“Yes and no,” Akira answered, knowing that he was only making things more complicated for the two, especially seeing Ryuji’s face go blank. “We aren’t going to get involved in this, so the specifics don’t matter for us anyways.”

“You know what, I think I’m fine with that,” Ryuji said with a sigh, relaxing his body against Ann’s with his arm around her. “After all the fighting over the last few years, I think we deserve a break.” Ann nodded in agreement, seemingly unconsciously leaning into Ryuji’s body. 

“You two are so cute together!” Sumire suddenly burst out, happily clapping her hands together and gaining the attention of the new couple as both their cheeks turned pink, but neither moved away from each other.

“Hehe, thanks Sumire,” Ann laughed nervously, suddenly hyper aware of how fast her heart was beating.

“So, what were you two doing in the same bed?” Akira asked, noticing Ann and Ryuji both freeze.

“We-well, Ryuji seemed cold and I wanted to make sure that he stayed warm while he rested…” Ann tried to explain, but the grins on Akira’s and Sumire’s faces indicated that they didn’t buy it.

“The building wasn’t that cold, Ann,” Akira notified the blonde girl, who only grew more distressed. That is, until she felt Ryuji’s arm around her squeeze her a little, and she looked up to see him smiling. At that moment, Ann forgot about everything else, even that Sumire and Akira were in the limousine as well, as she focused on Ryuji. He gently brought his other hand up to her face and stroked her cheek.

“Ann, why’re you so embarrassed? We’re already together, aren’t we?” Ryuji asked plainly, still smiling down at Ann, who’s heart felt like it was about to burst. Ann took in multiple deep breaths as she remembered Akira and Sumire were waiting patiently for an answer before turning back towards them, Ryuji’s hand falling to his lap while his other arm was still wrapped around Ann’s shoulders.

“I saw that Ryuji woke up, and I couldn’t help but check up on him…” Ann eventually answered truthfully, moving her attention back towards her boyfriend with a sad look in her eyes. “You throw yourself into danger so readily, Ryuji, even when you know you can die. From Shido’s palace to the fight with those Arcana Shadows to just today, I can’t help but feel like my heart will stop everytime you risk your own life. These moments helped me realize my true feelings for you, Ryuji… but please: stop risking your life. For me.” Ann had tears in the corner of her eyes as she said the last part, staring up into Ryuji’s eyes as he reached back up to her face. 

Akira and Sumire stayed silent as they watched Ryuji brush the tears out of Ann’s face and smile gently at her. “Ann, I already told you before, I won’t be riskin’ my life anymore,” Ryuji confidently reassured her. “Well, as much as I can help it. Some of those moments are out of my contr- urgh!” Ryuji gasped as Ann lightly punched him in the gut, a small smile on her face.

“You know that doesn’t help, right?” Ann sniffled as she wiped away the remaining tears. Before Ryuji could fully recover, Ann’s arms were fully wrapped around his body and Ann’s head resting on his shoulder. “I guess I’ll just have to keep an eye on you to make sure you don’t do anything stupid,” she whispered, sending chills all throughout Ryuji’s body. After a few stunned moments, Ryuji wrapped his own arms around Ann’s body, returning the hug with closed eyes.

“That doesn’t sound half bad,” Ryuji whispered back.

Sumire smiled at the interaction in front of her, leaning against Akira’s shoulder and closing her own eyes as she felt his arm wrap around her waist. No words had to be spoken between the two as Akira understood what this gesture meant; Sumire would do the same for Akira, to make sure he wouldn’t do anything rash as well as to stay out of the Shadow Ops way. 

These interactions between the two couples came to an end as Sumire’s eyes shot wide open with excitement. “Wait, now that you and Ryuji are a couple, the four of us can go on double dates together!” she happily exclaimed. Ann and Ryuji broke from their hug to look over at the redhead, a mixture of surprise and intrigue on their faces before Ann matched Sumire’s sudden excitement.

“That sounds amazing, Sumire! Wait! We can all go shopping together!” Ann gleefully said, her and Sumire beginning to come up with plans for double dates which left their boyfriends simply smiling at them.

“Maybe we can do something today?” Sumire asked, looking back at Akira to see what he thought, her eyes wide with excitement that Akira couldn’t say no to.

“Well, you’re already staying the night tonight, remember Sumire? Maybe Ann could stay the night as well,” Akira suggested, to which Ann’s cheeks suddenly turned pink.

“Wait, stay the night?! Isn’t that a bit too fast?” Ann asked, her eyes widening with a slight amount of panic.

“Weren’t you two already sleeping in the same bed, Ann?” Akira genuinely asked, but that didn’t stop Ann’s cheeks from flaring a brighter pink. “Well, if you’re uncomfortable with it we can figure something o-”

“No, it’s alright,” Ann interrupted Akira, fighting through her own embarrassment. Before Akira could respond, Ann grinned as she looked over at Akira and Sumire. “Wait, does that mean you two have slept together already?”

“Wh-what?!” Sumire nearly shouted. “A-Ann! W-we haven’t d-done a-anything like th-that!” Sumire sputtered as her entire face lit up a bright red.

“What are you talking about, Sumire?” Ann asked innocently, a grin appearing on Ryuji’s face as he realized what Ann was doing. “Oh? Were you thinking dirty thoughts Sumire?”

“Wh-what?!” Sumire’s head spun around, looking from Akira to Ann to back to Akira. The black haired teen chuckled as he saw his girlfriend's blush; some things would never change. He pulled Sumire closer to him, and she immediately buried her face into his chest in a futile attempt to hide her embarrassment. Ann and Ryuji began chuckling at Sumire, who only hid her face further in Akira’s chest when she felt his chest pulse slightly. 

“Senpai!” Sumire pouted as she looked upwards to see Akira chuckling as well, her embarrassment growing even deeper.

“Sorry Sumire, I can’t help it that you’re so cute,” Akira smoothly whispered into her ear, sending chills all throughout her body as her eyes began darting all around the vehicle. Thankfully for her, the limousine came to a stop, drawing everyone’s attention outside to see that they were now in Yongen-Jaya, parked along the side of the street. Within a few seconds, the door to Akira’s right opened up with the middle aged driver standing up tall holding it for them.

“Thank you,” Akira nodded at the man as he and the other three slid out of the limousine. The man bowed slightly towards them all once they were out, and silently made his way back to the drivers seat. The four former Thieves walked onto the sidewalk and watched as the limousine drove off back towards the Shadow Ops HQ. 

“Well, we should get going as well,” Akira said, turning on his heels towards the alley that led towards Leblanc. Sumire did the same, instantly locking her hand with his as they began walking towards the cafe.

“Hey Ryuji, we should do that,” Ann said as she lightly elbowed Ryuji’s side before motioning towards Akira and Sumire. 

“Do what?” Ryuji asked, clearly clueless and wasn’t paying attention. Ann sighed and pointed directly at Sumire and Akira, who were already in the alley.

“Hold hands! What else would I be talking about?” Ann sighed again in annoyance, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“Why would we do that? Can’t we just walk the-” Ryuji began, before receiving a light punch to his side. “Ow!” He leaned over slightly and grabbed his side, wincing from the sudden impact.

“You moron! It’s to show our love for each other!” Ann admonished Ryuji with a slight blush on her face. 

“Alright, alright,” Ryuji groaned as he straightened back up, rubbing his sore side as he did so before reaching over suddenly and grabbing Ann’s hand. “There; you happy?”

Ann’s face instantly shifted as it lit up with happiness. “Mhm!” she nodded in affirmation, to which Ryuji only rolled his eyes slightly.

“We should get going now, they’re pretty far ahead of us,” Ryuji said, pointing ahead at the other couple, who were barely visible within the alleyway. Ann nodded happily, still beaming at Ryuji as they began walking quickly to try and catch up to their two friends. ‘Dammit, how can she be this effing cute but also so demanding?’ Ryuji thought to himself as he saw Ann happily walking besides him, a stark difference from the annoyed look she was giving him not a minute prior. ‘Whatever, if this makes her happy then so be it.’

With a slight spring in their steps, the new couple caught up with Akira and Sumire just as they reached Leblanc. “What was the holdup, you two?” Akira questioned them immediately.

“Eh, it’s nothing much,” Ryuji responded nonchalantly. Akira’s eyes narrowed at his best friend before noticing that he and Ann were holding hands, and he pieced it together from there.

“Well, if you say so,” Akira shrugged as he turned to walk over to the door. “By the way, you two are cute when holding hands.” With saying that, he reached for the handle and opened the door before either blonde could respond.

“There you two are!” Sojiro immediately shouted, nearly running over to Akira and Sumire as they fully stepped into Leblanc. “Seriously, you nearly gave me a heart attack…”

“Sorry about that Sojiro,” Akira said as he rubbed the back of his neck. 

“I’m so sorry, Sojiro,” Sumire replied, a sad, downcast look on her face.Sojiro shook his head in annoyance, huffing slightly as he began to turn around, but stopped as he saw Ryuji and Ann behind Sumire and Akira. 

“You two! Are you alright?” Sojiro turned around again, stunning Ryuji and Ann due to his sudden concern. Akira and Sumire moved out of the way as Sojiro marched right up to the two blondes, stopping right in front of them.

“Y-yeah, we’re all good Boss,” Ryuji stuttered, taking a step back as Sojiro looked at him and Ann up and down before taking a step back, nodding his head in satisfaction.

“The kid here nearly scared me to death here when he shot up, saying that you two were in trouble,” Sojiro sighed, jabbing his thumb at Akira. Before he could get a response, Sojiro let out another sigh before turning around and sitting at the bar. “You kids and getting into trouble… Let me guess, more of those shadows?”

Ryuji and Ann stared at Sojiro in disbelief before Ryuji let his head hang. “Yeah…” he answered in a defeated tone.

“Man, when will the world ever give you guys a break?” Sojiro asked no one in particular, staring down at the floor. “Haven’t you guys gone through enough?”

At this point, Akira stepped forward again, getting Sojiro’s attention as he did so. “We also met with the Shadow Ops afterwards, and I made a promise to them; that we would stay uninvolved in this,” Akira assured his father-like figure.

“Well, that makes me feel slightly better that you gave them your word…” Sojiro relented, shaking his head and grinning slightly at the four teens in front of him. “Anyways, let’s get off this heavy stuff; you guys are okay, and that’s what matters.” Sojiro then looked around Akira to see Ryuji and Ann holding hands and his grin grew even wider. “Ah, I see it finally happened.”

Ryuji and Ann blinked blankly at Sojiro before realization crossed both their faces simultaneously, blushes appearing on both their faces as they figured out what he meant. Seeing that they had no response, Sojiro chuckled as he leaned backwards on the stool.

“I’m happy for you guys,” Sojiro said before turning his attention to Ann. “I’m sure you already know this, but that guy is almost as much trouble as this kid here, so keep an eye on him.” Sojiro finished by standing up and patting Akira on the back, receiving an eye roll from the two guys and giggles from their girlfriends. 

“Mhm, I already made him promise to stay safe, and I’ll keep a close eye on him to make him keep that promise,” Ann informed Sojiro and, before Ryuji could react, pecked him on the cheek.

“Wh-what?” Ryuji stuttered as he looked over at Ann, his blush deepening as Ann giggled. Ryuji’s face scrunched up in annoyance as he tried to hide his blush, but he couldn’t help the slight smile on his face. “Dammit Ann, you can’t do that to me…”

“Oh? Are you actually embarrassed Ryuji?” Ann teased even further, now wrapping both of her arms around Ryuji’s arm and leaned into his body.

“H-hell no!” Ryuji exclaimed, his voice cracking revealing that the opposite was true. Ann’s grin became even wider as she pressed her body into Ryuji’s arm and felt his entire body shake.

“Ryuji, it isn’t good to lie you know,” Ann whispered into his ear, feeling another shiver from Ryuji’s body as she placed her hand onto Ryuji’s chest, feeling his six pack underneath his shirt. Their eyes met as Ryuji stared at Ann in surprise, soon mellowing out as they forgot about the other three people in the cafe.

“Ahem,” Sojiro interrupted them as their lips almost met, stopping them both in their tracks. “While it’s great that you two are together now, maybe you should leave that when there aren’t other people around.”

Ann let go of Ryuji suddenly and took a step backwards, looking around to see Akira grinning over at them. “O-oh, right…” she said, scratching her cheek with a nervous smile on her face. “Sorry…”

“Eh, it’s no big deal,” Sojiro shrugged as he walked behind the bar. “Anyways, I’m sure you guys are hungry, so let me serve you up some fresh curry.”

“For real? Thanks, Boss!” Ryuji exclaimed, quickly taking a seat at the bar in eager anticipation. 

“Huh, someone’s hungry,” Sojiro scoffed with a smile as the other three took their seats next to the sprinter before turning towards his pot of curry. “It’ll be a little bit, gotta make some more for you guys.”

As Sojiro began working, the four relaxed into their seats and they all began thinking about what happened. “Hey Ryuji, right before Sumire and I reached you guys, we noticed a giant beam of electricity shoot through the air overhead. That was some power, man,” Akira said, grinning over at Ryuji who returned it with his own toothy smile.

“Thanks, Akira,” Ryuji replied before turning to Ann. “Ann also pulled off a move like that before that, which was way cooler.”

“Stop that!” Ann protested despite the smile tugging at her lips. “You sound like a kid when you say things like that… But it does make me happy hearing you say that…”

“No, but seriously, the way you and Celestine cracked through that Shadow’s shield before exploding it like that was effing amazing!” Ryuji continued on, now fully facing Ann. She couldn’t do anything but smile back at him; he really was like an excited child, but the way he got excited was so cute to her. “And then there was that friggin explosion! I was confused about the whole ‘Eruption’ thing, but then it made a lot more sense!”

Grinning at the new couple in front of him, Sojiro brought out four plates full of curry. “Here you go, you four! Eat up!” he announced, seeing four hungry gazes from the teens. With a “Thank you for the meal”, the four dug into their curry. To his surprise, Ann and Ryuji finished nearly at the same time as Akira and Sumire, something he never thought would happen.

“Heh, you guys must have been really hungry,” Sojiro chuckled at the now satisfied teens in front of him. “Anyways, I didn’t want to interrupt your conversation, so you guys can continue.”

As Akira let out a satisfied sigh, he saw Sumire staring at him out of the corner of his eye, an expectant look in her eyes. “What is it, Sumire?” Akira asked, turning his full attention onto his girlfriend.

“Oh, well… Minato-kun did tell us about those shadows, so don’t you think we should let them know what we know?” she responded. Now everyone’s attention was on Akira, eyes full of curiosity with Ryuji and Ann leaning on the counter.

“You’re right,” Akira relented; it would be okay if he told just these three, right? He went into what Minato and the Shadow Ops told him and Sumire; that the Shadows Ryuji and Ann fought were partially mechanical and that they were given the name Aberrated Shadows.

“Wait, why were those things even in reality?” Sojiro asked as Akira finished his explanation, receiving a shrug from Akira in response.

“I’m not sure; that’s what the Shadow Ops are going to try and figure out,” Akira replied. Everyone looked downwards; this was truly out of their hands. That is, until Ryuji’s head shot up and his face lit up.

“Wait, what about Mementos? That’s where we always go whenever weird shit is going down!” he exclaimed, but received a solemn shake of Akira’s head in response.

“No, we can’t get involved in this, Ryuji,” Akira countered; despite desperately wanting to, he wasn’t going to break his promise.

“Well, can we at least let them know about it?” Ann chimed in. “We wouldn’t be getting directly involved, and once they gained the ability to go into Mementos, then they can go in without us!”

“Hmm…” Akira hummed to himself as he continued to think. ‘That isn’t a bad idea; no, not at all actually,’ he thought to himself, nodding towards Ann and Ryuji. “I think that would be our best bet in trying to help out.”

“Awesome! Man, it feels great knowing that those guys are looking into this,” Ryuji exclaimed, reaching both of his arms into the air as he let out a yawn. Sojiro looked downwards at his phone, huffing slightly before returning his attention back to the teens.

“You all should head home, it’s getting pretty late,” he informed them all. Akira nodded at Sojiro, pushing himself away from the bar and standing up.

“Alright, we’ll get out of your hair,” Akira joked as he grinned at Sojiro.

“You know that wasn’t what I meant,” Sojiro growled, but he shared the same grin as Akira as the other three teens got to their feet. He walked around the bar and towards Akira, bringing him into a hug before he could even react. “See ya later, kid, and stay safe.”

“Heh, you really have gotten soft, Sojiro,” Akira chuckled as he returned the hug. “I’ll be sure to come by again soon, so don’t worry about me.” With that, Akira backed away from the hug and began walking towards the door. The other three caught up with him, Sumire locking hands with him while Ryuji fumbled slightly with Ann’s as they all left the cafe after saying their goodbyes to Sojiro.

“They all seem so happy now,” Sojiro whispered to himself, sitting down at the bar as he let a smile dance onto his lips. “Good, they deserve it. Especially Akira and Sumire.”

Silence lingered over the four teens as they made their way towards the subway station, Ann and Sumire leaning slightly into their boyfriends’ bodies as they felt their eyelids begin to fall. Akira wrapped his arm around Sumire, pulling her even closer in as she snuggled her head into his chest. Ryuji simply let Ann rest her head on his shoulder as they walked, gently guiding her down the stairs and towards the platform right behind Akira and Sumire.

“Hey Ann, do you have a change of clothes?” Ryuji asked softly, not wanting to bother her too much as the four walked onto the pretty empty train.

“Mm… I don’t, but I’ll just wear yours…” Ann replied sleepily as the four of them sat down along the train, moving even closer to Ryuji and resting her eyes. Ryuji blinked slowly at her, opening and closing his mouth multiple times but unable to find a proper response to that.

“U-uhh… alright?” Ryuji eventually said, Ann leaning almost entirely on him as a small, happy smile appeared on her face.

As Akira watched the two, he turned to Sumire, who was nearly asleep at this point with head nearly fully buried in Akira’s chest.. He rustled her hair a little bit to make sure she was awake, noticing her stir slightly as she pouted upwards. “Hey sleepyhead, try and stay awake, okay? We’re almost there,” Akira informed her as he gently poked her on the forehead, causing her face to scrunch up cutely. “Also, you can share my clothes as well for the night if you want. If not, I can run over to your parent’s house real quick.”   
“It’s alright…” Sumire replied sleepily, her eyes slowly closing once again as she was nearly lulled to sleep by Akira’s rhythmic heartbeat and breathing. The two guys let their girlfriends rest for the remainder of the train ride, Akira catching Ryuji’s eyes and grinning over at him. Ryuji returned the grin, feeling Ann’s head become even heavier on his shoulder and her arms wrap around his. 

His smile moved from Akira towards Ann as he saw her soundly asleep, and he began to feel tired as well. ‘She had a long day today; not only were we attacked by those Shadows, she also had the photoshoot,’ he thought to himself, brushing a strand of hair from her face to see her eyes closed and a small smile on her face as she breathed in and out peacefully.

Akira also moved his gaze back towards Sumire, who had now wrapped her arms entirely around his waist. ‘Today was pretty stressful for her…’ Akira thought as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and began running his hand through her hair. ‘We won’t have to have days like this one for a while… I’m glad I agreed to not get involved.’

The four of them sat in blissful silence with Ann and Sumire peacefully resting on Ryuji and Akira as the train began slowing down. As it came to a stop, Sumire began to stir and eventually wake up, her eyes still half closed as she let go of Akira and let out a big yawn. Akira smiled over at her and, taking her hand, stood up slowly. Ryuji waited for Ann to wake up, but she was soundly asleep at this point. 

Instead of just waking her up, Ryuji stood up and kneeled in front of Ann, his back facing her. He moved her arms around his neck as he grabbed her thighs and picked her up. While still asleep, Ann nestled her head on Ryuji’s shoulder as she tightened her grasp around Ryuji’s neck, still giving him room to breath. He turned towards the door and began walking, Akira and Sumire already off the train and waiting for them.

“Sorry about that, Ann’s too tired right now,” Ryuji told them as he stepped off the train. Akira and Sumire nodded at him, both smiling at Ann on his back before turning around to make the short walk to Akira and Ryuji’s apartment. As they entered the building, Akira waved at the receptionists as always before he, Sumire, and Ryuji with Ann still on his back entered into the empty elevator. Akira noticed Sumire yawn again and lean even more on him, with her arms wrapped around his. He smiled as they reached the fifth floor, leading Sumire towards his and Ryuji’s apartment and quickly unlocking the door.

“Alright, here we are,” Akira announced as the four entered the room. “Do you want to get ready for bed right now, Sumi?”

“Mhm…” Sumire nodded sleepily, rubbing her eyes before Akira began leading her towards his room. Ryuji also began walking towards his room when he felt Ann begin to stir.

“Ryuji… you can let me down now…” she yawned on his back, moving her head off his shoulder as he gently put her down. “Thank you for letting me rest…” After steadying herself, Ann wrapped her arms around Ryuji’s body, hugging him from behind.

“It’s all good,” Ryuji chuckled as he pat Ann’s clasped hands around his waist, with Ann loosening her grip as he turned around. “You had a long day today, after all.”

“So you can be sweet, huh…” Ann muttered to herself. At any other time Ryuji would have fought back, but Ann was tired so he figured he shouldn’t argue back.

“Come on, let’s go lay down,” Ryuji suggested, gently wrapping his arm around Ann’s waist and gently leading her towards his room. As they neared the door, they saw Akira standing outside his room alone leaning up against the wall already in his normal sleeping attire.

“Sumire is changing right now, so I’m waiting on her,” Akira informed the two. 

“Here, I’ll do the same,” Ryuji said, opening his door and leading Ann inside. He quickly got out a pair of sweatpants and his classic “zomg!” shirt and left Ann to change. As he exited, he met Akira’s eyes and they both smiled at each other. However, just before Akira was about to say something, he heard a timid knock from inside, and knew that Sumire was done. Giving a nod towards his best friend, Akira entered into his own room to see Sumire right in front of him. She was wearing his pair of grey sweatpants and plain black shirt. She let out another yawn as she rubbed her eyes.

“Hey sleepyhead, you ready for bed?” Akira whispered as he began to lead Sumire towards the bed, receiving a tired nod from Sumire. He let Sumire get into his bed first, pulling back his covers as she did so before he climbed in after her. As he pulled the covers back over them, Sumire immediately wrapped both her arms around him and pulled herself into his body. Akira smiled at her before turning off the light next to his bed, turning back to Sumire as he put his arms around her, feeling his eyes fall as well.

“Alright Ryuji, I’m ready…” Ann called out sleepily after some time, allowing Ryuji to change in the bathroom. Ryuji entered into his own bedroom to see Ann already curled up on his bed, his covers over her. Their eyes met and he smiled at her as he approached, pulling back part of the covers before joining her in bed after turning off the lights. Ann shifted closer to Ryuji, resting her head just underneath his. Ryuji wrapped his arms around her body and tried to pull her closer to him, but she actually resisted a little bit.

“Ann? What’s wrong?” Ryuji asked almost immediately, seeing a slight amount of panic in her eyes.

“U-umm… Nothing!” Ann tried to cover her panic with a light smile, but failed as Ryuji only grew more concerned. He sat up in bed and turned back on his lights, staring at Ann in worry.

“We’re together now; you can let me know if somethin’s bothering you,” Ryuji assured Ann, stroking her cheek gently. Ann looked downwards before letting out a sigh and staring back up at Ryuji.

“W-well, when you tried to pull me closer like that, you brushed up near my butt and it reminded me of…” Ann trailed off, unable to finish the thought as she knew it would make Ryuji mad.

“Kamoshida?” To her surprise, Ryuji asked in the softest tone she’d ever heard from him. Staring back up into his eyes, she nodded before attempting to look elsewhere. However, Ryuji’s hand gently guided her face back towards her and he smiled. “That bastard is in jail now; he can’t reach you anymore. But if you don’t feel comfortable, then we can slow things do-” Suddenly, Ann wrapped her own arms around Ryuji’s nek, bringing him back down to the bed before giving him a long, passionate kiss. Their scents filled the other’s noses as they held the kiss, closing their eyes as Ann tightened her grasp around her lover’s neck. Ryuji brought his hands up to Ann’s messy hair and gently ran his right through it while his left lowered and brought Ann even closer to him. However, they had to break eventually from the kiss, a feeling of complete calm filling both their chests.

“Thank you, Ryuji… I’m so glad I fell for you,” Ann whispered before hugging him close. Both of their eyes began to fall and, just before they both fell asleep, Ryuji turned off his lamp again before wrapping his arms around Ann and holding her close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, Dev0ted back with another chapter! This one came much, much quicker to me and writing it was a ton of fun, so I hoped you enjoyed it! There is potentially a new threat out there, especially with these new Shadows potentially appearing our heroes have to stay on their toes!  
> As always, I appreciate you guys reading my fics, and don't worry: there will be plenty more fluff than combat for those that want cute ShuSumi(and now RyuAnn).
> 
> Chapterly Shout out time!
> 
> The Renegade series by Light_Sumire - https://archiveofourown.org/series/1847206
> 
> Always Together: A Ren and Sumire Romance by RainyDays(SunsetHours) [or as I know him, Tharon] - https://archiveofourown.org/series/1825528


	6. Go, Featherman, Go!

As the sun shone through the window of Akira’s room, Sumire began to stir in her sleep, putting one arm in front of her eyes in an attempt to shield her eyes and go back to sleep. However, she was slowly waking up and soon realized that something felt… off. As she let her arm fall back onto the bed and opened her eyes, she realized that Akira was no longer in the bed with her.

“Aki-” She began, sitting up suddenly and looking around the room before sniffing the air; she smelled something incredible. Letting out a yawn and rubbing her eyes, Sumire got out of Akira’s bed, laying the sheets back down gently and patting out the creases in them.

“My glasses?” Sumire asked aloud, fully realizing that she couldn’t see clearly as she began looking around the room. However, it didn’t take her long to find them as they were sitting right next to the bed, on Akira’s nightstand with a note beside it. Leaning over, Sumire put her glasses on after brushing her messy hair from her eyes and picked up the note.

_ Hey sleepyhead, you went to bed with your glasses on. Well, if you’re reading this you already found them, but that’s besides the point. As you can probably smell, I’m making breakfast right now, so come on out when you’re ready! _

Sumire shook her head as she put the note back onto the nightstand. ‘He’s such a dork,’ she thought to herself before adjusting her glasses on her face. She sniffed the air again; there was a definite smell of coffee along with… pancakes? ‘He’s never made pancakes before.’ With a smile on her face and her nose leading the way, Sumire moved out of Akira’s room and into the hallway. As she let the door close behind her, Sumire could hear the sizzling of a pan along with Akira’s coffee maker, and felt her stomach growl.

“Sounds like someone’s hungry,” she heard Akira call out from the small kitchen connected to the living room, and felt heat rush to her face almost immediately. Her smile remained as she stepped out from the hallway, rubbing her eyes once again from tiredness. Letting her hands fall to her sides, she opened her eyes back up wide to see Akira in his apron from Leblanc, his hair messier than normal, standing in front of the stove top. He turned around and Sumire’s heart fluttered as she gasped, her blush deepening as she saw his genuine smile. She still wasn’t quite used to seeing Akira so openly happy, but she quickly learned that she adored the sight. 

“Morning, Sumi,” Akira said as Sumire shuffled her feet towards him, smiling happily while her face was very red as she stopped right beside her lover. Before she could act, Akira turned towards her and kissed her forehead, returning his attention back to the pans and coffee maker in front of him. “So, how is my princess doing this morning?”

“Mm… I’m doing good…” Sumire replied sleepily, her blush persisting as she leaned her head against Akira’s shoulder. “Thank you for taking my glasses off, Akira.” She leaned closer to Akira’s ear as she whispered his name and felt his entire body shake. Looking up to see a dusting of pink on Akira’s cheeks, Sumire giggled as she leaned even more on Akira. “I love you so much, Akira. Dorkiness and all.” 

“What do you mean by ‘Dorkiness and all’?” Akira asked, mocking fake offense as he turned over the pancakes. As he did so, he also flipped the bacon and sausage in another pan. ‘So that’s what else I was smelling,’ Sumire put together before looking back up at Akira, her head still on his shoulder.

“You know what I mean,” was Sumire’s response as she took hold of Akira’s arm, pressing her body into it as she closed her eyes. With his other hand, Akira put down the tongs he was holding and gently ran his hand through Sumire’s messy hair.

“I know you just got up, but I love when you have your hair down,” Akira whispered back, running his hand through her hair for a second time. This time was Sumire’s turn for her entire body to tremble, her legs suddenly feeling like they were going to give out.

“Se-Senpai… that’s not fair…” she whined but with a smile still on her face.

“You did it to me, so it’s only fair,” Akira teased as he gently took his arm back from Sumire’s grasp and wrapped it around her before walking over towards the coffee pot. He noticed that it was all done and reached down into his pocket, procuring his phone and checking the time. “It should be time…” Looking backwards, Akira focused his attention on the hallway with Sumire also looking back in confusion.

As if on cue, Ryuji’s door opened up, erasing the confusion on Sumire’s face as both she and Akira heard two pairs of footsteps shuffle towards the open room. After a second of waiting, the two blondes came into view, both with their eyes half open. Ryuji was wearing a plain white sleeveless shirt while Ann was wearing his yellow “ZOMG” shirt, Akira noticed, and he grinned at the two. “Welcome back to the living world, you two,” Akira said as Ryuji let out a huge yawn.

“Good morning, Akira. Good morning, Sumire,” a messy haired Ann yawned, rubbing her eyes as she and Ryuji continued walking over towards Akira and Sumire, reaching them before the two blondes sat down at the four person table nearby. Ryuji immediately laid his head onto the table, with Ann laying her own head on Ryuji’s back. Akira and Sumire smiled at their two friends before returning their attention back to the food on the stove. 

“It’s about done, Sumire. Could you grab me four plates from the cabinet right there?” Akira asked as he began pouring out a cup of coffee for him, Sumire, and Ann while pouring a glass of water for Ryuji. Sumire did as asked, placing the plates out beside the stove just as Akira was done pouring the drinks. With another kiss on the forehead, Akira passed by a somewhat stunned Sumire, whispering “Thanks, Sumi” before grabbing his spatula and dealing out three pancakes each for the four of them with three pieces of bacon and sausage on the side. After finishing up plating the food, he and Sumire both took two plates and set them down on the table. Ann and Ryuji both sniffed the air simultaneously before shooting up.

“That smells delicious, Akira!” Ryuji exclaimed suddenly, no longer in his tired daze as the aroma from the meat filled his nostrils. Akira grinned at his best friend as he picked up their drinks and placed them in front of his friends and girlfriend, who was now sitting beside Ann.

“This is just a treat for an amazing photoshoot yesterday, Ann, and a job well done from you two,” Akira informed the two blondes. “Alright; let’s eat!”

As soon as he announced it, Akira sat down next to Sumire and Ryuji and the four began to tear through their food. While he ate, Akira noticed that Ryuji went for the bacon and sausage first while Ann poured the maple syrup he set out all over her pancakes and took huge mouthfuls of the sweet food. ‘As expected,’ Akira chuckled internally, calmly eating his own food as his eyes moved over to Sumire’s plate. Well, empty plate as she looked up at Akira and grinned, a piece of pancake stuck in her teeth. Smiling back at her, Akira finished the rest of his own food before leaning over and picked the piece out of her teeth.

“Silly…” Akira laughed lightly as he poked Sumire’s nose, causing her face to scrunch up before she gave him a pout.

“Senpai!” Sumire whined, running her tongue through her teeth to make sure she didn’t have anything else stuck in there. Just before Akira could tease Sumire further, he heard two clinks from the other side of the table and looked over to see Ann and Ryuji’s plate wiped clean.

“Are you satisfied, or do you guys want seconds?” Akira asked, receiving three enthusiastic nods from around the table. “Alright, what do you guys want?”

“Ooh! Give me some more bacon and sausage!” Ryuji exclaimed, giving Akira his plate excitedly.

“I just want more of those pancakes,” Ann replied blissfully. “Seriously, how did you make them that good?”

“More pancakes and meat, please!” Sumire said after Akira brought back Ann and Ryuji’s filled plates, grabbing his and Sumire’s. He filled both of them up with the meat and cakes with the rest of his prepared food and walked back to the table. The four began eating once again, with only the sounds of happy chewing and silverware hitting the plates filling the apartment.

“Damn Akira, this was good!” Ryuji nearly shouted as he leaned back in his seat.

“Ryuji, don’t be so loud!” Ann admonished him, lightly punching his thigh. As Ryuji winced from the slight amount of pain, Ann smiled over at Akira. “But I agree, this really was good, Akira!”

“Heh, thanks guys!” Akira responded to his beaming friends. “I really wanted to give you guys a good meal after what you went through yesterday, and I know how much you two like meat and sweets respectively.”

“You’re so thoughtful, Akira,” Sumire said dreamily, staring directly at her beloved as he moved away from the table and went around to pick up everyone’s plates.

“Eh, it wasn’t too bad!” Ryuji exclaimed, pounding his chest lightly and giving Akira a big grin as the black haired teen walked back to the table.

“Says the one knocked unconscious,” Akira shot back, with Ann even staring at Ryuji with a slight amount of disbelief.

“Ah shuddup, man!” Ryuji lightly pushed Akira’s shoulder, and a after a brief moment of silence all four burst into laughter. It felt like a long time since they all shared a laugh this carefree, but they all soaked in the feeling. As the laughter died down, Akira reached down and pulled out his phone. 

“Might as well tell Minato about Mementos now while I’m thinking about it…” Akira muttered to himself but just loud enough the others still heard him.

_ Hey Minato, this is Akira. I just wanted to let you guys know of a place that would more than likely help with your investigation. It’s name is Mementos; it is the palace of the collective unconscious. _

Akira stared at his screen for a few seconds, waiting for a response from his blue haired counterpart. As no answer was coming, the three other teens stood up and walked over next to Akira, staring down at his phone just as Minato responded.

_ Thank you for letting us know, Akira. I am assuming that we can enter this Mementos from this blue eyeball app on my phone? _

“Wait a sec, he has the MetaNav?” Ryuji questioned, receiving two shrugs from the girls as Akira typed out his response.

_ I kind of figured Igor would give you the app as well, but I wonder why it’s blue for you… Oh well, not that it matters. That app should allow you to enter into Mementos; just type the name in and walk down into the underground subways. _

_ Understood, and thank you for the information. I take you telling me all this is you upholding your promise? _

_ Yeah, it is. I’ll make sure to stay out of your way. _

_ Well, I’ll be going now. Thanks again, Akira. _

Smiling slightly, Akira put his phone away as the other three all quickly made their way back to their seats. “Well, with that we’re no longer involved in this,” Akira sighed as he stretched his arms high above his head, letting them fall to the table with a thud. To the other three, he almost looked sad in a way.

“That’s not a bad thing, Akira,” Sumire said as she gently laid her hand on top of Akira’s. The black haired teen looked up at her, and seeing her warm smile brightened his mood almost instantly as he smiled back at her. However, before he could even respond, Sumire poked him on the forehead with her other hand.

“Wha-?” Akira let out before seeing Sumire’s grin. 

“This way you can also stay out of trouble, mister,” Sumire teased, her grin widening as she saw Akira’s cheeks turn rosy. Ann and Ryuji grinned at their leader as Sumire moved her hand down and poked him again, this time on the nose. Akira’s eyes were wide open as Sumire continued on, her face moving right in front of his. “And besides, you’ve defended the world too many times now; it’s someone else’s turn now.” As Sumire finished speaking and before Akira could respond, she let her hand in front of his face drop and pecked him on the lips, pulling back slightly and moving her lips right next to his ear. “I think I deserve to be selfish, right?”

Akira’s entire body shook as the hairs on his arms stood straight up as Sumire backed away, the grin on her face slowly shifting into a sweet smile with her cheeks also having a dusting of pink on them.

As Sumire was backing up, she suddenly felt herself stop and actually move closer to Akira; he had grabbed her by the waist. “I like it when you’re selfish,” Akira whispered into her ear, and Sumire felt her entire face go red. 

“You two are so cute,” Ann commented, causing Sumire to jolt upright as both she and Akira turned towards Ann to see both blondes grinning at them. 

“Right back at ya, Ann,” Akira responded confidently, nodding towards Ann’s and Ryuji’s interlocked hands on the table. Ann looked down towards their hands and a slight blush bloomed on her face, but Ryuji’s grin turned into a full on smile as he felt Ann move her hand slightly, trying to break free from his grasp.

“What’s up, Ann? We can’t be cute?” Ryuji teased her, only making her cheeks turn a deeper shade of pink. Still staring at Ann, Ryuji leaned back in his seat. “Though, if I had a choice, I’d say I’m more cool than cute.” 

During all the teasing, Akira felt his phone vibrate again and pulled it out; it was a text from Coach Fukuda. 

_ Hey Akira, remember that we do not have practice today, but it would be a good idea to still work out or, at the very least, go for a jog today. You’re already in great condition, but it’s vital that you stay that way. _

Akira groaned; he wanted to laze about for the day with Sumire, but apparently that wasn’t going to happen. He could not go and say he did, but Coach Fukuda was right and Akira didn’t want to get on his bad side.

_ Alright Coach, I’ll go in later tonight. _

With another sigh, Akira slipped his phone back into his pocket and looked up to see three sets of eyes on him, all three having rosy cheeks and looking at Akira expectantly.

“That was my coach telling me that, even though I have today off, I should still work out…” Akira sighed once more as he looked downward.   
“Wait a minute, we could all go together!” Ryuji suddenly exclaimed, getting to his feet in excitement. “We all need our bodies in top shape, so why not? We were going to hang out anyways.”

Akira and the two girls stared at Ryuji with a mix of amazement and shock before Ann grinned up at him. “You know what, Ryuji, that’s an awesome idea!” she exclaimed, now matching Ryuji’s excitement before turning towards Akira. “When are you planning on going? We can probably hang out here for a while longer before going!”

“Well, I like working out later at night, so probably around 7 pm,” Akira responded, catching Sumire’s gaze; she seemed to be getting excited as well. He smiled inward; ‘This is going to be more fun than I thought, I guess,’ he thought to himself before getting up from his seat. “Well, what do you guys want to do until then?”

“Oh! A new episode of Featherman is out! Let’s watch that!” Sumire exclaimed, rocketing to her feet as she stared at Akira excitedly.

“That sounds good to me,” Akira nodded happily before turning towards Ann and Ryuji. “Is that okay with you guys?”

“Hell yeah, dude! I love Featherman!” Ryuji replied, rushing over to the couch, practically dragging Ann behind him as he sat down. “Trust me Ann, you’ll love it!”

Ann stared downwards in shock before breaking out into a grin, shaking her head as she sat down next to Ryuji. “You’re such a child, you know that?” Ann asked before moving right next to Ryuji and laid her head on his shoulder.

“Hey, I can’t help it! Featherman is so cool!” Ryuji shot back as Akira and Sumire made their way to the other couch, sitting down as Akira grabbed the remote.

“Alright, everyone ready?” Akira asked as Sumire situated herself up against him, curling up into a ball and staring excitedly at the screen. Receiving three nods, Akira hit the play button, and the opening of Featherman began immediately.

The episode began as most others did; with the Feathermen receiving notice of a monster attacking Japan and they all suited up to go and stop the threat. However, for this episode, the monster just happened to be the main villain of the series; a dark purple elephant man with piercing red eyes named Lord Gedd. He wore black spiky armor, and was the cause for the attacks on Japan that the Feathermen had to deal with over the years, all animals that he forced to undergo a magical transformation that turned them into anthropomorphic versions of themselves that would follow his commands. On top of that, he replaced some of their limbs with mechanized limbs, enhancing their speed and strength even further.

However, the Feathermen, under Feather Red’s leadership, always pulled away with the victory, saving Japan from the evil rule of Lord Gedd everytime. Now the evil overlord has decided to face the Feathermen himself and dispatch them once and for all.

As the episode played, Sumire fidgeted next to Akira as the Feathermen fought against Lord Gedd and his horde of minions, wincing gasping every time one of the Feathermen got hurt and cheering when they would defeat a minion. Unlike other episodes where Akira would be smiling at Sumire’s reactions, he was completely entranced by this episode; the production for the fights along with what was at stake drew him in. On the other couch, Ann and Ryuji had their own eyes glued to the screen, Ryuji’s arm wrapped around Ann’s body as they watched. The only sound in the room was from the television, with the sounds of fighting and brief dialogue playing over the fantastic music. 

During the fight, Feather Red and Feather White were the main ones against Lord Gedd, Feather Red’s short blade clashing against the dark lord’s giant black claymore as Feather White provided support with her longer blade, glimmering off the red sun. Nearby was Feather Yellow and Feather Pink, back to back as they fought off a portion of the minions. Akira grinned, knowing that Feather Pink was Yukari, as she fired an arrow straight through three minions lining up to hit Feather Yellow. However, a minion was about to reach Feather Pink as Ann let out a yelp, but Feather Yellow threw his giant hammer towards it, sailing over Feather Pink’s shoulder and demolishing the monster. Ryuji and Ann both cheered along with Sumire, the two blondes even high fiving each other. ‘Well, I’m glad they’re enjoying this…’ Akira thought as the camera panned over the entire fight, checking on the other Feathermen in their own fights before focusing back on Feather Red and Feather White. As it did, Akira actually let out a gasp as Gedd had his giant trunk wrapped around Feather White and was about to smash down with his claymore. However, just as the giant blade was about to hit, Feather Red, who was dealing with some rogue minions, dashed in front of the attack, stopping it altogether with his short sword before throwing Gedd backwards.

Akira now gave the show his full attention just as an energy blast from one of Gedd’s minions hit Feather Red’s side, forcing him to his knees. “No!” Sumire screeched as the other three gasped, Feather Red spitting out blood and Lord Gedd laughing maniacally as he stepped towards Feather Red. However, he didn’t stop as he walked past him and, without a second thought, hit Feather White with the blunt part of his blade, sending her flying backwards. Akira grit his teeth as Gedd continued laughing evilly, stopping right over Feather White’s prone body.

“Stop it!” Feather Red roared, his suit torn and his body battered but he still struggled to his feet. Gedd turned around, a slight amount of surprise on his face before grinning evilly at his arch nemesis. 

“I will enjoy destroying you with my own hands, Feather Red!” Gedd yelled as he dashed towards the injured Featherman, his claymore position to cut him down. Feather Red barely dodged the downward slam from Gedd, but was left wide open as Gedd slammed his trunk into Feather Red’s chest, sending him backwards into a nearby abandoned car. 

The music suddenly stopped as Feather Red laid atop the now partially crushed car, the only sound coming from the television being Lord Gedd’s laughter. “Is this all you got, Feather Red? I expected more from the leader of the Feathermen!” Lord Gedd taunted as he dropped his claymore onto the ground as he continued making his way towards Feather Red, who was still trying to struggle back to his feet. The four teen’s sat in horrified silence as Lord Gedd reached Feather Red and lifted him up by the throat and, with a malicious grin, began slamming his other fist and trunk into Feather Red’s body. 

Akira saw Sumire cover her eyes out of the corner of his eyes and wrapped his arm around her in an attempt to comfort her. On the other couch, Ryuji’s and Ann’s eyes were still glued onto the screen, waiting for Feather Red to turn it around. 

However, the moment didn’t come as Lord Gedd let go of Feather Red’s neck, letting him fall back to the ground as he gasped and coughed for air. With the same evil grin plastered on his face, Lord Gedd faced his palm directly down at the injured Featherman as a deep purple energy gathered in his hand. 

“This is goodbye, Feather Red!” Lord Gedd roared with laughter as Feather Red’s suit phased out of existence, revealing the Featherman without his suit on underneath.

“Not on my watch!” Someone shouted, shifting Lord Gedd’s attention away for just a moment as a large hammer slammed into his chest, making him slide backwards away from Feather Red. 

“Hell yeah!” Ryuji and Ann cheered, Sumire’s body releasing all of the tension built within it as the camera panned up to see Feather Yellow directly in front of Feather Red, with the other Feathermen gathering around their leader with Feather White’s arm wrapped around Feather Pink’s shoulders. Triumphant music began playing once again as Lord Gedd looked back upwards, shock on his face to see the other Feathermen before him and not dealing with his minions. 

“What?! How did you get past my minions?” Lord Gedd roared in rage.

“They weren’t any match for our teamwork, Gedd! Now give it up!” Feather Yellow yelled back, gripping his hammer even tighter.

“Give up? Never! I will defeat you all myself!” Gedd let out an ear splitting roar, causing all the Feathermen to cover their ears in pain as he began growing, reaching to the size of two skyscrapers stacked on top of each other. The Feathermen all looked at each other at once and nodded; it was time for the Ultraroid. ‘Go, Featherman Go!’ began playing as all the Feathermen minus Feather Red struck a pose with their Shifter’s facing outward, shining their respective colors as the ground began to shake. As Lord Gedd finished growing, he prepared his now humongous claymore to slam into the city with, but a giant, yellow, mechanical ostrich came crashing down the street and slammed into Gedd, forcing him to stumble backwards.

As Gedd found his footing once again, the rest of the roids rolled/flew in except for Feather Red’s Roid, a red Hawk. Instantly the roids’ limbs began shifting, and, in a slowed down transformation, the Ultraroid was formed. However, it was missing a vital piece; it’s head, which consisted of Feather Red’s Roid. The other Feathermen couldn’t worry about this, however, as they jumped skyhigh and into the Ultraroid, which was still dwarfed by Gedd’s size. Feather Yellow grabbed Feather Red before jumping up, resting him towards the back of the giant control room where the Feathermen would control the Ultraroid.

“Alright, let’s go guys!” Feather Yellow shouted, throwing his hand forward followed by the other Feathermen doing the same. Suddenly the Ultraroid blared to life, the eyes from Feather Yellow’s Roid blaring up instead of Feather Red’s Roid.

“Right!” The other Feathermen shouted in response, everyone taking up their stations as they peered out from the eyes of the Ultraroid towards Lord Gedd. The supersized monster began a charge, his head down so his tusks were directed straight for the incomplete Ultraroid. All the Feathermen grunted as they forced the Ultraroid to grab hold of the tusks, sliding backwards down the main street of the city as Gedd continued his charge. 

Sumire’s eyes were once again plastered to the screen, her hands tightly gripping Akira’s as she was very clearly invested in what was happening. Akira gripped her hands back as he watched the Ultraroid get thrown backwards and into a tall building, collapsing it as a giant cloud of dust was kicked up.

The camera was back inside the Ultraroid as all the Feathermen screamed in pain, red lights blaring around them signifying significant damage done to the Ultraroid. Feather White, who was still injured from the confrontation with Lord Gedd earlier, looked back at Feather Red as he began to stir once again. Before she could do anything, Feather Red pulled himself towards the exit hatch of the Ultraroid and, flashing a smile at the Feathermen, opened it up, making him drop suddenly towards the ground.

“No!” Feather White weakly shouted as Gedd finally approached the damaged Ultraroid, standing again from the attack and with its shining blade in hand. Lord Gedd’s claymore struck the blade, sending out a small shockwave that cleared the rest of the dust around them, showing the Ultraroid struggling as Gedd was pushing it back. The ground began to crumble as Gedd began pushing the Ultraroid downwards as well, causing a small but not insignificant damage to its legs as he did so.

All of the Feathermen inside the Ultraroid were gritting their teeth, trying their hardest to push back against Gedd, but to no avail as the Ultraroids legs continued to get damaged. Dread and fear fell over all of them; Gedd was too powerful, and the four teens watching also felt this dread as Gedd seemed to prepare for a final blow. However, Akira grinned just as a high pitched sound could be heard, similar to a screech from a hawk.

Suddenly, the camera shifted onto the Hawk Roid soaring through the air straight towards Gedd. Lord Gedd noticed the red Roid too late as it was engulfed in flames and, with time slowing down, the Roid shot directly through Gedd’s chest.

“Grahhh!” Gedd roared in pain as he fell backwards, destroying even more of the ground underneath him and shaking the entire city. 

“Red!” Feather White shouted as the screen showed all the Feathermen staring apprehensively at the red Roid as the fire disappeared from around it. The Roid turned back around and flew back towards the Ultraroid as Gedd, while clutching his chest, managed to stand back up.

“Curse you Feather Red! I’ll take you all down with me!” Gedd roared, a mixture of agony and rage in his voice as the same purple energy began coalescing in his trunk.

“Alright guys, you know what to do!” Feather Red confidently shouted as he took the Hawk Roid high into the sky, receiving shouts of affirmation from the Feathermen as the Ultraroid’s sword began glowing bright white. 

“Go!” Sumire and Ann were now standing up, cheering on the Feathermen as the guys waited with bated breath; they were all deeply invested now. A different version of ‘Let’s go, Feathermen!’ began playing as the focus was back on Feather Red inside his Roid; he had his Featherman outfit on except for his helmet, and blood could be seen coming from his scalp slowly running down his face. With a grin on his face, Feather Red pulled the Hawk Roid back, doing a flip midair and was now shooting directly downwards towards the ground. 

“Now, all of you will die by my hand!” Lord Gedd exclaimed as he released the energy he was building up in a giant beam towards the Ultraroid. However, the Hawk Roid shot past the Ultraroid, grabbing hold of the giant blade infused with the burning hot white energy as Feather Red pulled it upwards, flying directly towards the energy beam and Lord Gedd. As it reached the beam, the Hawk Roid flipped the sword in its mouth as it began cutting through the beam like butter. 

“I-Impossible!” Lord Gedd roared in surprise as the Hawk Roid and Feather Red continued approaching. “Fine, how can you deal with taking all of my power!?”

The beam increased in intensity ten fold as Gedd finished, slowing down the Hawk Roid considerably and was even starting to push it backwards. However, as the camera swung into the Hawk Roid, Feather Red didn’t lose his grin as he let out a triumphant shout, and the flames that was around the Hawk Roid appeared once again. However, now they were entirely white as the Hawk Roid began taking on the energy beam itself along with the blade. 

As ‘Let’s go, Featherman!’ came to its climax, the Hawk Roid shot through the rest of the purple energy, making it dissipate entirely as it finally reached Lord Gedd’s head and, with the shot slowing down and being shown from long distant, penetrated straight through it.

“Yes! Akira, he did it!” Sumire shouted with glee as she and Ann both jumped and down with glee with Akira and Ryuji fist pumping into the air. Sumire then quickly turned towards Akira and gave him a big hug, which was returned in kind as Akira grinned; he could feel just how fast her heart was beating.

“There’s still more, so let’s sit down,” Akira calmly told her, and both Sumire and Ann quickly quieted down and sat next to their boyfriends.

With the attack, the clouds previously casting a shadow over the city were now gone, and the camera slowly panned down to show a giant hole in the middle of Gedd’s head. “H-how did I lose? How…” was Lord Gedd’s last words as his enormous body crumpled and turned into dust, blowing away in the air; the day was finally saved. However, the Hawk Roid was heavily damaged in the last attack and began falling down to earth. Feather Red was barely able to get control of it to avoid crashing into a building, but nonetheless he crashed down onto the street below. 

“Red!” All of the Feathermen shouted in unison, running towards him as they were now on the ground. Feather White was the first to reach the Hawk Roid and, with her helmet off to reveal her white, flowing hair, began trying to pry open the entrance into the Roid. However, it was jammed shut from the crash, so no matter how hard she tried it wouldn’t open. Tears were in Feather White’s eyes as she continued trying feebly to open it up, and she was about to give up when Feather Yellow put his hand on her shoulder. With a toothy grin from the spikey haired blonde, Feather Yellow motioned for Feather White to stand aside which she did as she saw his giant hammer in hand. With some buildup, Feather Yellow smashed open the entrance, sending the door flying into the Roid, and quickly climbed in. A few seconds went by that felt like an eternity to the four teens watching with bated breath when Feather Yellow emerged with Feather Red’s arm around his shoulders. The leader of the Feathermen was still conscious as he gave everyone a weak smile and a thumbs up when Feather White ran to him and embraced him.

‘Here it comes,’ Akira thought to himself, taking Sumire’s hand as they watched the screen intently. ‘The entire season had built up their relationship; this has to be the moment.’

As Feather Red gently ran his hand through Feather White’s shining hair with the other Feathermen looking on and smiling at the two, with Feather Yellow backing away, Feather White looked up into Feather Red’s eyes.

“Thank you, Red,” she whispered, her eyes shimmering as her tears continued to fall.

“What are you thanking me for? You’re the one that saved me,” Feather Red responded, wiping away some of her tears just for more to replace them. Akira was now laser focused on the screen now; the time was now.

“Red, I…” Feather White trailed off, a dusting of pink on her cheeks as Feather Red looked at her confusedly. “Red, I love you!”

Akira grinned as Sumire and Ann squealed with happiness, moreso as Feather Red also professed his love and kissed Feather White as the ending song began playing. The camera slowly zoomed out, showing the wreckage of the city, before the entire screen went black and the credits began to roll.

The only sound that filled the room was the light buzzing of the television as the screen froze with a prompt on it asking whether or not to delete the recording when Sumire and Ann began to clap wildly with Akira and Ryuji having wide grins on their faces. 

“Alright, alright, I think that’s enough you two,” Akira eventually broke in, stopping the two girls clapping and getting the other three’s attention. “Remember that we aren’t the only ones in this building.”

“O-oh… Right…” Sumire said, casting her eyes downward with a slight amount of shame in them, but Akira quickly brightened her mood by lifting her chin up gently with his hands and flashing his charming smile. 

“So, how did you like it?” Akira asked, and Sumire instantly forgot about her shame as she began gushing about how good the finale was. 

“Oh, oh! Feather Red was definitely my favorite this episode!” Sumire continued on, her face practically shining with excitement. “His confidence in himself and the other Feathermen was amazing! Also…” Akira tilted his head as a light blush appeared on Sumire’s cheeks, with Ann and Ryuji grinning; they knew what Sumire was thinking.

“Also what?” Akira asked, attempting to meet Sumire’s eyes as he moved his head down.

“He also reminded me of you…” Sumire whispered, her words barely reaching Akira’s ears as her entire face turned bright red. Akira’s heart began beating faster as Sumire turned her attention back to him, and he knew that he was blushing furiously right now. “You both love your teams so much that you would put your own lives on the lines. You’re both so confident and cool, but throughout the season we saw how much of a dork Feather Red could be. How could I not think of you?”

“Again with the dorkiness?” Akira asked, rubbing the back of his head but grinning at Sumire. “You know, I always saw a striking resemblance between Feather White and you as well, Sumi.”

“Wh-what?” Sumire gasped, startled by Akira’s comment.

“Come on, you both are extremely graceful and caring; plus,” Akira paused as he took Sumire’s hand, “they’re both dating the leader.” Sumire’s face was now entirely red as she began sputtering out incoherent sentences, with Ann and Ryuji smiling at their two friends as they held hands.

“How did you like it, Ann? You seemed to be pretty into it,” Ryuji asked, keeping his grin as he turned his attention towards her.

“It was amazing! Feather Yellow and Pink totally reminded me of us!” Ann exclaimed, pumping her fist into the air and winking at Ryuji.

“Heh, you saw it too, huh? That moment was probably my favorite, with those two having each other’s backs,” Ryuji responded, showing just as much excitement as he and Ann began talking more in depth about that scene.

The four of them continued talking excitedly about the finale of the season, eventually the two conversations turning into one big one. As the conversation continued on, Akira had to check his phone as it vibrated; his alarm had gone off, giving him around thirty minutes until he had to go to the gym. 

“I hate to cut this conversation short, but I want to leave here in around thirty minutes or so for the gym,” Akira sighed as he put away his phone.

“Sounds good to me!” Ryuji exclaimed, retaining his excitement before he frowned at Ann. “Wait a sec, do you have workout clothes?” Sumire and Ann both perked up and began panicking.

“Oh crap! I need to head home to get some clothes, then I’ll meet you guys there! I’ll grab something to eat at home as well!” Ann yelped, shooting to her feet and making her way quickly to the door.

“Ann, I’ll come with you! I also need to get my clothes,” Sumire called out behind Ann, running up to her before turning around and seeing the concerned look on Akira’s face. “Don’t worry about us, Akira! We’ll see you there, and I’ll also make sure to eat something!”

With a final wave, the two girls closed the door, leaving Akira and Ryuji alone in their apartment. “Those two were really into Featherman, huh?” Ryuji asked as he and Akira got up from their seats as well.

“Yeah, Sumire loves Feathermen. I’m not at all shocked that Ann liked it as much as she did,” Akira added on as they walked down the hallway and towards their respective room. “Remember, we’re meeting them in thirty minutes, so don’t slack off in there!”

“Alright, mother…” Ryuji sighed, slumping forward before he and Akira broke into a small fit of laughter and, with a fistbump, the two entered into their rooms and began changing. 

‘This would probably be a good opportunity to see how far I can control myself…’ Akira thought to himself as he changed into his black workout clothes and threw in a change of clothes into his bag. As he did so, Akira took a deep breath in and focused, drawing his power inwards. To his surprise, it had become much easier to control just after a week of practice; he could hold around 60% of it back constantly now and could hold it all back for around two seconds at a time. Letting a grin play on his face, Akira grabbed hold of his bag’s strap and stood up, moving out of his room and back into the living room to wait for Ryuji. 

After five minutes of waiting, Ryuji came rushing out of his room in his normal workout attire, only having a grey sweatshirt over his no sleeve shirt to stay warm on the way there. “Sorry Akira,” Ryuji said as Akira checked his phone; they needed to leave right now to be on time at the very least.

“I’m assuming you got distracted?” Akira questioned his best friend as they walked out of their apartment, receiving a defeated nod from Ryuji as he locked the door behind them. “Never change, Ryuji.” Shaking his head, Akira grinned over at the blonde who grinned back sheepishly as they made their way down the steps, out the building, and into Akira’s car. 

The drive to Shibuya only took five minutes as traffic was lighter than usual, and Akira and Ryuji climbed out of the car immediately after Akira parked along a backstreet and began jogging towards the gym.

Akira was already holding himself back at this point as he and Ryuji made their way to the gym, making it there in just under a minute to see Ann and Sumire standing out front. They slowed down to a walk and, as they approached, both Sumire and Ann noticed them at the same time.

“There you guys are! What took you so long?” Ann demanded instantly.

“Whoa, we’re not that late, are we?” Ryuji asked back, taking a step backwards in defense. Ann was about to go off more on Ryuji, but Sumire gently placed her hand on her shoulder and her face softened almost immediately.

“Sorry about that… Some jerks just walked by and called over at us while making gross faces...” Ann apologized. 

“...What?” Both Akira and Ryuji asked at the same time, their faces going entirely blank but Sumire and Ann could see anger within their eyes.

“It’s alright! We scared them off before you got here, so they won’t be bothering us anymore!” Ann quickly continued on, noticing Ryuji’s knuckles turning white from gripping them so tightly. 

“Akira?” Sumire hesitantly asked, seeing that Akira had begun trembling. As she received no response, she approached him tentatively and stroked his cheek, breaking him out of his daze. “Hey, I’m alright. I love you, Akira.” 

As her words reached Akira, his face softened and he stopped trembling. Taking a deep breath in, Akira shook his head. “I’m sorry, Sumire. Just… I can’t stand people bothering you…” Akira sighed again before smiling down at his redhead girlfriend. “And I love you too. Let’s head inside, shall we?” 

Receiving three enthusiastic nods, Akira led the way into the gym with Sumire, who was in her red sports shirt and black tights along with having her hair tied up and having contacts in, right beside him, and Ryuji and Ann, who was in a seemingly new pink sleeveless shirt along with black tights, right behind them. After paying, the four made their way over to the equipment.

“Alright, what do you guys want to do?” Akira asked as he turned around.

“Umm…” Sumire muttered, looking down shyly.

“What is it, Sumi?” Akira walked towards his girlfriend with a blush suddenly appearing on her face.

“I… I want to do the bench press, but I’ve never done it before… Could you help me?” Sumire asked shyly, only to be surprised as Akira grabbed her hands. 

“Of course! It’s pretty easy, so I’m sure you’ll pick it up quickly!” Akira exclaimed as he brought Sumire over to a free seat and began setting up the barbell with weight he was confident Sumire could handle. As they did that, Ryuji took Ann over to the treadmills; they were planning on doing some interval running.

As the two couples began, it was clear to Akira that Sumire was actually extremely nervous as she grasped the bar with her hands far too close together. Smiling, Akira reached down and grabbed her hands. “Your hands should be further apart, just around shoulder width along the bar,” Akira instructed, setting her hands into position before looking down to see Sumire lightly blushing. “Is this comfortable for you?”

“Y-yeah,” Sumire nodded hesitantly, still showing her nerves clearly on her face.

“Sumire,” Akira forcefully said, drawing her attention as he stared down at her. “Believe in yourself, alright? You’ll be fine and, if anything happens, you have me right behind you.”   
Sumire blinked at Akira, amazed at his small but inspiring speech when a confident smile played onto her face.

“Right! I’ll do my best!” Sumire exclaimed, situating her body on the bench and returning her attention to the bar above her. Taking in another deep breath, Sumire lifted the bar up and immediately realized how heavy it was. It was manageable for her as she moved it forward and directly over her chest, and she began to slowly let it fall. Akira’s hands were right next to her’s, not touching the bar but just underneath it to catch it if Sumire’s arms gave out.

“Remember to breathe, sweetheart,” Akira reminded Sumire, who nodded and took another deep breath in. As the bar reached her chest, Sumire began pushing it back upwards. “There you go, just like that! Keep on going! And…. done!” Akira exclaimed as Sumire fully pushed the bar back up and set it back on its hooks. 

“Senpai, I did it!” Sumire exclaimed happily, sitting straight up and looking back at Akira excitedly. Before she could even get up, Akira patted her on the head, grinning from ear to ear.

“I’m so proud of you, Sumire,” Akira happily said, and Sumire’s face instantly turned a deep red. “What’s wrong?” Akira tilted his head to the side, removing his hand from Sumire’s head. As he did so, Sumire looked upwards at him with a slight pout.

“S-Senpai… could you… pat my head again?” Sumire asked hesitantly. To her surprise and disappointment, Akira chuckled and shook his head.

“I’ll do it after we finish our sets, alright?” Akira playfully asked.

“Alright!” Sumire nodded gleefully, spinning back around and getting onto her back once again. She did three sets of five reps with taking a break after each set, and Akira could see her arms getting tired. Luckily, that was how much he had planned for her to do, so they stopped there. 

“Senpai?” Sumire looked up at Akira expectantly as she wiped off the sweat from her brow with a towel Akira had given her.

“What is it, Sumi?” Akira asked innocently, holding back a grin as he saw Sumire’s face shift into a pout.

“You promised to pat my head again, Senpai!” Sumire whined, her pout deepening as the grin finally appeared on Akira’s face. However, it was quickly replaced with a deep blush and embarrassment as Akira patted her head again, leaning down and kissing her forehead as well. “Se-Senpai! That’s not fair…”

“Sorry Sumi, you’re too cute not to tease.” Akira chuckled as he helped her off the bench and began wiping it down for the next person who would use it. They then headed over towards the free weights to focus more on upper body, where Akira helped Sumire find the perfect weight for her to lift currently. Luckily the gym was empty enough, so no one took notice of the couple’s antics besides Ryuji and Ann, but they were too busy in their own training.

“C’mon Ann, you can do it! We only got a little bit longer to go!” Ryuji encouraged his girlfriend as they both increased their speed once again, nearing the top speed they could go. Sweat was dripping from both their faces, but Ann was looking exhausted while Ryuji seemed like he could go on much longer.

“My… legs… feel like… they’re about… to give out…” Ann panted as she began falling back on the treadmill.

“Hey, look at me!” Ryuji’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts, and she did as he said. For some reason, her heart fluttered as she looked at him despite the sweat coating his body; no, it was because of the sweat glistening off his body, his defined muscles clearly shining from the light of the gym that made her heart flutter. However, she stared at his face as he gave her his biggest smile and a thumbs up. “We can do this!  _ You _ can do this!”

“R-Right!” Suddenly, Ann felt motivated to finish this workout; her entire body still felt sore, but she was determined to finish it through for herself and for Ryuji. The two blondes finished up their workout just at around the same time as Sumire and Akira, who both were sweaty from the weight training but for different reasons. Akira had been focusing his everything on holding back as much as he could while still using the weights he usually worked out with while Sumire wasn’t used to this sort of training. The four of them met up in front of the treadmills, drinking from their water bottles and wiping off the sweat on their foreheads.

“So, how’d it go for you two?” Akira asked, stretching out his arms in front of him.

“It went well! Ann held up really well, especially for Coach’s workout plan,” Ryuji exclaimed, holding up his hand to which Ann high fived him.

“Thanks, Ryuji!” Ann exclaimed, a light blush appearing on cheeks as she massaged her thighs. “But man, that was pretty intense. But it also felt good…”

“Right? We should come here together more often!” Ryuji offered excitedly.

“Really?” Ann asked, surprised by the suddenness of his request. “Well, I mean, if that’s okay with you…”

“Of course! Whenever I have a workout day, we’ll come here, alright?!” Ryuji asked, becoming more and more excited.

“You know, we could make it a thing between us,” Akira chimed in, and received three enthusiastic nods from his friends and girlfriend. “Well, if we’re all set, let’s head out. Do you guys want to stop by a bathhouse before we split up for the night?”

“That sounds good to me, man! I could use a hot bath right about now!” Ryuji exclaimed as the four exited the gym and into the cool night air. As they began walking, Akira looked up the nearest bath house, and led the other three as he found one a few blocks away. Once they made it there and after paying, the couples split up and went into their respective baths. 

Akira and Ryuji both let out relaxed sighs as they dipped into the baths, closing their eyes as the warm water loosened up their bodies. “Man, that was a good workout…” Ryuji let out another relaxed sigh, stretching his neck before grinning over at Akira. “You and Sumire seemed to have fun.”

Akira grinned back at his blonde friend. “Yeah, she’s practically a natural at it,” Akira responded, his eyes glittering with pride. 

“Heh, you really love her man,” Ryuji chuckled. “I saw you helpin’ her out earlier with the bench press, and she seemed to have some weight on there.”

“Yeah, she’s a lot stronger than you think,” Akira responded, staring at his reflection in the water before turning his attention back to Ryuji. “Ann seemed to do well on Coach’s training, by the way.”

“Hell yeah she did! I’m kinda shocked that she was able to keep up, but she stayed at it until the very end!” Ryuji exclaimed, the same pride in Akira’s eyes shining in his own.

As the guys continued talking about their girlfriends, Sumire and Ann were sitting peacefully in their bath until Ann turned towards Sumire. “So, did you have fun?” she asked the redhead, who had her eyes partially close and a small smile on her face. Sumire opened her eyes and nodded peacefully over at Ann.

“Yeah, I really like working out with Akira,” Sumire responded sleepily, her head lolling before she stopped it from hitting the water. “What about you, Ann? How was working out with Ryuji?”

“It was fun, but really hard,” Ann informed Sumire, who instantly became interested and sat straight up. “I can’t believe that he has to go through that every practice, or at least something similar to that. I only barely managed to get through it while Ryuji seemed like he could continue on for another hour or two!”

To Ann’s slight surprise, Sumire began giggling slightly. “Both of our boyfriends are pretty amazing, huh?” Sumire asked Ann. “Akira barely even broke a sweat during our workout, and he even showed off a little with the wooden dummy. I could barely even see him as he moved smoothly and flawlessly around it, and I could even hear the dummy about to snap.”

Sumire and Ann continued fawning over how incredible their boyfriends were until their time was up and, after drying off, met up with Akira and Ryuji. “Hey you two, how was the bath?” Akira asked as he embraced Sumire and kissed her on the forehead.

“Mm… it was good,” Sumire responded sleepily, reaching up and pecking Akira on the cheek in response. Ann walked up to Ryuji and snuggled up right beside him, with Ryuji wrapping his arm around her body.

“Are we all ready to head out?” Akira asked, leading Sumire towards the door as the three nodded sleepily at him. The four made their way to Akira’s car, to which Ann and Ryuji got into the back as Sumire got to ride next to Akira.

“We’ll take you two back to your places, alright?” Akira said as he began the drive towards Ann’s apartment. The car was silent for the drive over, with Ann resting her head against Ryuji’s shoulder and Sumire staring happily out the window in some sort of daze. Akira grinned as he continued to drive in the silence, humming to himself the opening theme of Featherman as he reached Ann’s apartment.

“Thanks for the ride, Akira!” Ann said as she began moving out of the car, Ryuji followed her out.

“Hey Ann!” Ryuji called out as she stood up, with Ann looking back confused. However, she didn’t have a chance to answer back as her lips were suddenly locked with Ryuji’s. After a brief moment of surprise, Ann melted in Ryuji’s arms, her eyes half open before Ryuji pulled back. “Nice work today, and I love you.”

“I love you too, Ryuji,” Ann whispered back, kissing Ryuji once more before running towards her apartment complex. Grinning to himself, Ryuji walked back and climbed into the car, and once again they were off. Akira looked back whenever he stopped and grinned at Ryuji, who was staring off into space and didn’t see Akira doing so.

The rest of the drive went by smoothly as the three made it to Sumire’s home. As Sumire unbuckled, she placed her hand on Akira’s lap, stopping him as he was also unbuckling. “It’s alright Senpai, I can walk myself up there,” Sumire said, giving Akira a big, reassuring smile as she finished unbuckling herself and opened the door. “I love you, Akira.” With a quick kiss on his lips, Sumire got out of the car.

“I love you too, Sumi,” Akira called out, receiving a smile as Sumire closed the door. Akira didn’t move the car until he saw Sumire enter into her home, and waved at Shinichi and Akane as they peered out and saw him waiting in front of their home. 

“Alright Ryuji, let’s head on home,” Akira stated, pulling the car out and beginning the ride back to their apartment complex.

“Hell yeah! Today was a pretty fun day, don’t ya think?” Ryuji asked as he jumped into the passenger seat next to Akira. Akira grinned as he continued staring ahead, remembering how jovial Sumire was for the entire day, and nodded.

“Yeah, it really was,” he answered as they drove back to their apartment. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo... this was kind of a mistake. This chapter wasn't supposed to be this long, buuuut... oh well. Sometimes it just happens, and I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! 
> 
> Chapterly shout-out time!
> 
> Royal Rivals: The Quartet by ShrugFace - https://archiveofourown.org/works/24695260/chapters/59683288
> 
> Renegade by LightSumire - https://archiveofourown.org/works/24782095/chapters/59926366
> 
> Always Together: A Ren and Sumire Romance by SunsetHours - https://archiveofourown.org/series/1825528


	7. Sunset at the Park

“Alright Akira, show me what you’ve got!” Coach Fukuda yelled next to the long jump pit with the measuring tool in his hands. In the middle of the runway, Akira stood in his starting position with his right foot in front of his left. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath in, Akira focused deep within himself, drawing all his power back. His body trembled as he attempted to hold it all back, but Akira knew that he couldn’t hold it back for long, so he let around 20% of it free. A small gust of wind blew around him, ruffling his black hair slightly before the wind died down and all was still around him. ‘Not quite there yet,’ Akira thought to himself as he opened his eyes, feeling both the unchained energy flowing throughout his body along with the restrained energy deep within his core. 

Taking one final breath, Akira leaned on his back foot before breaking out into a sprint; he felt natural as he ran towards the white board and pit. It had been around a month or so into the trimester, and his knowledge and skills of the Long Jump had grown considerably during the short amount of time. As he reached the board, Akira firmly planted his foot onto it and winced; he knew that his foot was further back on the board than usual, but he sprung forward anyways. Flying through the air, Akira brought both his legs forward along with his arms, feeling the wind hitting his body as he soared over the pit. As he came back down to earth, Akira brought his legs down and, as his feet hit sand, he made sure to fall forward. 

The entire track was silent as the entire Track and Field team had ceased practice just to watch Akira’s jump, and it left everyone in awe. Akira rolled over and laid in the sand, staring up at the blue sky, before rolling over and pushing himself up. “Dammit…” Akira cursed under his breath; he instantly knew that this mark was worse than his last one despite his improvements to his form. 

“I’m sure you can tell, but this is shorter than your last jump from yesterday, Akira,” Coach Fukuda said as he walked up to Akira and planted the measuring device into the sand. “7.2 meters…” Fukuda turned towards Akira, putting the device back on his hip with a frown. “Akira, come with me. I think there’s something we need to talk about.” A pit fell in Akira’s stomach as he nodded, following Fukuda as the Coach led the black haired teen towards a bench nearby the Shot put pit. Fukuda motinioned Akira to sit down first, and Akira did so as he looked closely at Coach’s face; he didn’t seem mad, but more concerned than anything else.

“Akira, is there anything on your mind outside of jumping right now?” Coach Fukuda went straight into potential problems, still standing at the other side of the table. Akira’s mind raced as he tried to come up with a reasonable lie; he couldn’t tell the truth. ‘What would I even say? That I have a god inside of me and that’s why I’m jumping so far?’ However, before Akira could formulate a lie, Coach Fukuda let out a sigh and sat down opposite the teen. 

“Listen Akira, we have a meet coming up soon and we need you to be in top form,” Coach Fukuda informed Akira, making eye contact with the teen; Akira could see that he was entirely serious. “I also want you to perform your best for yourself; you’ve already shown that you’re more than capable of reaching those higher marks, you just need to stay out of your own head.”

Akira’s eyes widened; ‘Stay out of my head?’ he questioned internally, and something clicked at that moment; he was still worrying over the Shadow Ops and those Aberrations. Even after making the promise and telling Minato about Mementos two weeks ago, he still wanted to help in some way; he felt like it was his duty to do so.

“Akira,” Fukuda’s firm tone broke Akira out of his thoughts, bringing him back to reality and he could see his coach staring directly at him. “Do you want to be the best jumper?”

Pausing, Akira looked down at the table in front of him; he was stunned at the forwardness of the question. Fukuda leaned back, removing his elbows from the table as he waited for Akira’s answer. However, he looked at his watch a few seconds later and began to stand up. “You can figure it out later. We need to continue prac-”

“Yes, I do want to be the best,” Akira’s voice was firm as he stared into Fukuda’s eyes, and the older man could’ve sworn he saw a brief flash of dark red in the teen’s eyes. However, as he blinked, the strange light was no longer in Akira’s eyes, but he saw a strong determination that he had yet seen from the boy yet. “I’m ready to get back to it, Coach.” Firmly placing both his hands on the wooden table, Akira pushed himself up and grinned at Coach Fukuda. Fukuda quickly wiped the shocked expression off his face and returned to his normal stern gaze, nodding at Akira before heading back down towards the Long Jump pit. 

“One more time, Akira! Then we gotta call it a day!” Coach Fukuda shouted as the two took up their positions once again, Akira’s feet firmly planted on the ground. His eyes were sharp with focus, running through his steps and the jump in his head. Nothing else was able to occupy his mind as he ran through it over and over again until he perfected the jump, at least in his mind’s eye. Taking a deep breath as he leaned backwards once more, Akira burst off from his starting position. He didn’t realize that the start was much slower than his previous ones as he ran methodically, reaching the board. Planting his right foot perfectly onto the board, Akira pushed with everything he had off the ground and into the air. As he soared forward, not only did he put his legs forward but also his arms, giving himself a slight amount more forward momentum, and as he landed he slid forward. Some sand entered into his spikes as he quickly slid to a stop, his feet quickly getting buried as he kept his balance. 

“Hell yeah!” Akira yelled, pumping his fist into the sky with a large grin on his face before coming back to his senses. As he sheepishly put his hand back down, he heard clapping coming from his right and turned to see Coach Fukuda slowly approaching while clapping his hands.

“That was beautiful, Akira,” Fukuda noted proudly as Akira made his way out of the sand pit and looked back; he landed around the same area as the last jump, so why did he still feel so proud? Then, as Coach Fukuda bent downwards to measure the jump, Akira suddenly felt his entire body get lighter as he felt his powers flow throughout him, causing a bigger gust of wind to blow outward from his body. ‘Did I do that by myself?’ Akira questioned himself, already knowing that the answer was yes. 

“Not bad at all; 7.4 meters,” Coach noted as he stood up from the mark and turned to face Akira. “I’m assuming you got whatever was in your head out of there?”

“Yeah, something like that,” Akira replied nonchalantly, his heart beating in excitement still.

“Well, the meet’s coming up in a week from today, which would be… May 6th, a Sunday thankfully,” Fukuda said as he pulled out his phone to check the date, nodding and putting it away to look back at Akira. “Keep this level of commitment up and continue improving and you’ll be one of the best jumpers in Japan, kid. Alright, that’s enough for today. Go do your cooldown laps and stretches and get on out of here!”

“Right! Thank you, Coach!” Akira exclaimed, nodding over at Fukuda before running over to the rest of the Track team and did his laps and stretches before heading back to his apartment with Ryuji.

“Finally done today…” Ryuji groaned as he and Akira walked into their apartment, throwing their bags haphazardly onto the floor before Ryuji collapsed on the nearest couch while Akira sat down calmly on the other.

“Tough day at practice?” Akira questioned Ryuji, who shook his head before looking over at Akira while still lying down on the couch.

“Nah, classes are kicking my ass right now…” Ryuji let out a long sigh, shifting his body so he was looking up at the ceiling and draping his right arm over his eyes. “Now that I’m in college, I’m actually studyin’ stuff that interests me, but the classes are still hard as hell.”

“Oh yeah, exams are coming up, right?” Akira crossed his legs as he leaned back into the couch, grinning as Ryuji groaned once again.

“Don’t remind me, please,” Ryuji pleaded, suddenly rolling over and slowly getting to his feet. “I’m gonna go take a shower before studying for a bit…” Akira’s eyes widened in legitimate shock as Ryuji began turning towards the hallway.

“You? Studying?” Akira asked, not attempting to hide his surprise. Ryuji stopped in his tracks, and Akira could see him wince at his question as he turned his head and tried to give Akira a grin that was more like a grimace.

“Ann’s making me study, sayin’ that if I fail any of my exams coming up that she’ll come up with a punishment for me…” Ryuji winced again while Akira grinned; knowing Ann, she was being deadly serious when she made that threat.

“I never imagined that she would be the one to make you study. Usually that’s Makoto’s job,” Akira noted, to which Ryuji slumped his head and shoulders forward.

“Apparently Ann had Makoto help her study over the phone last year while I was gone, and now she’s a pro at it,” Ryuji grumbled, sticking his hands into his pockets. “And now that we’re together, she wants me to get better at it as well…” 

“Well, that’s not necessarily a bad thing,” Akira pointed out, trying to brighten Ryuji’s mood, but he saw his blonde friend only slump forward even more.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right…” Ryuji sighed once more before turning around. “Alright, now I’m gonna go take my shower before studying…”

“Have fun!” Akira teased as Ryuji looked tiredly back at him before walking towards his room. His grin persisting, Akira stretched out his limbs on the couch, laying down before reaching down for his phone. Pulling it out of his pocket, Akira stared at his apps on his phone before hovering his thumb over the MetaNav almost unconsciously before stopping himself. 

‘No, I can’t go in,’ Akira shook his head as he pressed his thumb on his messaging app. The first person he saw was Sumire since he texted her every day, and then Ryuji and Ann underneath her, and then the rest of his friends below them. ‘It’s been awhile since we’ve been together, huh?’ Akira pondered as he found their group chat, which the last time it had been used was when Akira notified everyone he was coming back to Tokyo the day before he and Ryuji moved into their apartment. Ever since then, they had all been busy with their own lives, but since this week was Golden Week, everyone should be free.

“I’ll text everyone later if they want to meet u-” Akira began muttering to himself just as his phone buzzed, and his eyes flew towards the bottom of the screen to see Futaba had messaged in the group chat.

_ Futaba: Hey everyone! It’s Golden Week this week and I’m boooored. We should totally find a day to hang out! _

Akira grinned as he immediately began typing out his own message.

_ That sounds good to me! You and Sumire are out of school from the 3rd to the 6th, right? I’ll be sure to stay free during that time. _

_ Yusuke: That sounds good to me as well! Ah, I cannot wait to see your smiling faces once more! _

_ Makoto: I have exams coming up in two weeks, but I’ll be sure to make time as well! _

_ Haru: We’re meeting up? How fun! I’ve missed you all so dearly! _

_ Ann: I’m so excited! Where are we going to meet up? _

_ We can figure that out as we go along, but let’s meet up at Leblanc for old times sake on the 5th, around one week from today. _

_ Oh right! I should’ve told you guys this, but Ryuji and I have a meet coming up on the 6th if you all want to come. _

_ Yusuke: I did not know you were doing Track and Field, Akira! But of course I will come! _

_ Futaba: Me too, but not in the weird way Inari is saying it. _

_ Makoto: That sounds lovely, Akira. I will be there. _

_ Haru: Me too! _

Akira grinned at his phone as he began to slip it back into his pocket, stopping just as another vibration was sent throughout his hand.

_ Futaba: Wait a sec, where’s Ryuji and Sumire? I could’ve sworn that they would have been the most excited out of all of us. _

_ Sumire’s currently at practice, and Ryuji is in the shower right now. Apparently he’s gonna study tonight, despite our exams being two weeks away. _

_ Yusuke: I must say, I would never have expected Ryuji to actually study on his own. _

_ Futaba: Tell me about it! Makoto basically had to force him to study while we were Phantom Thieves! _

_ Makoto: I did not “force” him! I simply made sure he knew the consequences of failing any of his exams. _

_ Haru: Mako-chan, that sounds like you forced him. _

_ Yeah, I was surprised as well. _

Akira hit send, not wanting to add any more or else he might let slip Ann and Ryuji’s relationship. They could tell everyone when the time comes.

_ Ann: It’s good that he’s studying and taking school seriously. Oh, I have to go now. See you all later! _

As everyone said goodbye, Akira tapped over to his private messages with Sumire and typed out a message for her.

_ Hey Sumi, this is for when you get out of practice. The group decided to meet up on the 5th at Leblanc, since we haven’t met up in a while. Well, I’m sure you can just read through the group chat… Anyways, I’ll see you later sweetheart! _

With that all taken care of, Akira turned off his phone and slid it back into his pocket as he stood back up and walked over to his room. Closing the door behind him, Akira moved over to his dresser and picked out his casual clothes. He was meeting up with Sumire soon just to hang out, but since she was still at practice he took his time changing. As Akira finished up, he laid down on his bed and looked over at his digital clock that Sojiro had gotten him as a move in gift; it was 3:00 pm. ‘Sumire should be down right about now,’ Akira thought and, almost like clockwork, his phone began ringing to which he quickly took it out and answered the call.

“Hey Sumire,” Akira immediately answered, sitting up towards the foot of his made bed. 

“Hello Senpai! I just got home from practice, so after I shower I’ll meet you at Central Square,” Sumire responded. Akira noticed that she sounded tired, more than usual after a practice.

“Sumire, are you okay?”Akira asked, his face crumpling up in concern even though Sumire couldn’t see him.   
“Mhm…” Sumire affirmed weakly, only making Akira worry more.

“If you’re not, you can tell me,”Akira softly spoke into his phone, and Sumire went quiet on the other side.

“My routines have been less than stellar lately, and I’m not sure why. I’m doing everything the same...” Sumire eventually said, her voice quivering slightly as she went silent once again. Akira closed his eyes and began thinking, his mind landing on the events of today at practice.

“Could it be that you’re thinking of something else?” Akira questioned.

“Something else?” Sumire repeated the question again, mainly to herself.

“Today, I was having trouble jumping how I wanted to as well even though I was doing everything the same, just as you are. Did your coach say anything?” Akira continued prodding deeper.

“She corrected a few of my mistakes, but she didn’t notice anything too major,” Sumire responded despondently. “I’m confident in my abilities and I want to be the best, so why am I struggling now?”

Akira winced slightly, remembering how depressed Sumire was when she became herself again, and resolved himself to fix this issue right now. “Sumi, while I was struggling today, my coach took me aside and asked me if I wanted to be the best Long Jumper. We both know your answer to that, but I realized that my mind was being clouded by other things.”

“What things?” Sumire asked tentatively.   
“The whole thing with the Shadow Ops and their investigation into those Aberrations,” Akira answered truthfully, with Sumire silently listening as he continued on. “At this point, I know that I can’t help out, but something within me still feels responsible to assist in any way possibly, which was getting in the way of practice. After my talk with Coach, I realized that jumping is what I like to do, and I put my all into my next jump.”

The call went completely silent besides the near silent breaths from Sumire, and Akira waited for her to process everything he just said before asking once again: “So, what was on your mind?”

“O-oh, um…” Sumire stuttered, slightly taken aback by the sudden question. “Well, I was actually thinking about the same thing and my promise to keep you out of trouble. I don’t want something like last Christmas happening again, Akira...”

Akira could tell that Sumire was on the verge of tears, her voice breaking throughout the sentence. He tightened his free hand into a fist as he felt ashamed in himself; of course she would still be scarred from that day. “Sumire, listen to me,” Akira firmly said, hearing complete silence on the other end of the call. “After regaining my body because of you, it has fully acclimated to the power within me. Something like that will never happen again, even if I go all out. And besides, even if we do run into one of those Aberrations, I have the best Phantom Thief with me, so I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

“Wait, what do you mean by that Senpai?” Sumire asked, regaining some control of her voice. A grin formed on Akira’s face that Sumire couldn’t see.

“I’m talking about you, Sumi,” he whispered into the phone, and was met with a near silent gasp from Sumire. 

“M-me? But Akira, you’re the strongest out of all of u-”

“Now, did I say strongest?” Akira stopped Sumire short. “I said best, and I fully believe it. Not only did you have my back throughout my time as a Phantom Thief, but you also saved my life more times than I can count. I can’t imagine a better person to entrust my safety to.”

“A-Akira…” Sumire uttered, her voice barely reaching a whisper. Hearing light and short breaths coming from her, Akira decided to keep quiet until she calmed down. A minute passed as Sumire finally took a deep breath, signifying that she had calmed herself down enough. “Thank you, Akira…”

“It’s what we’re supposed to do, Sumire,” Akira responded lightly. “I’ll be there to catch you if you ever stumble, and I know that you’ll do the same for me.”

“Right!” Sumire exclaimed on the other end, her voice cracking slightly but filled with a renewed energy. “Oh, I still need to shower! I’ll meet you at the Station Square! Love you, Akira, and thank you again!”

“I love you too, Sumi. See you soon!” Akira exclaimed, a full smile on his face as he heard Sumire hang up first, lying back down on his bed as he placed his phone onto his chest. Allowing himself to rest for five minutes, Akira let out a sigh before getting back up, sliding his phone back into his pocket as he slipped into his shoes. 

“Hey Ryuji, I’m gonna head out and meet up with Sumire for the evening!” Akira called out as he exited into the hallway. 

“See ya later, Akira!” Ryuji called back from his room. Akira grinned as he walked into the living room; he could tell from the defeated tone in Ryuji’s voice that he was actually studying. ‘Ann sure has him wrapped around her finger,’ Akira thought to himself as he made his way out of the apartment, locking it due to Ryuji being in his room. 

_ ‘It is the same with you as well, Akira,’ _ Raoul echoed within Akira, causing the teen’s grin to widen slightly. 

‘Hey, you’re me so we’re in this together!’ Akira shot back, hearing a low chuckle coming from his inner self. Moving almost on its own, Akira’s body made its way to the station that connected directly with Shibuya; he had made this trek nearly a hundred times by now. The ride to the Station Square was entirely uneventful, with Akira idly looking at his phone. As the train neared Shibuya, Akira eyed the MetaNav, and he felt something; no, someone stir from within him. 

_ “Akira, aren’t you bored?”  _ Akechi’s voice was faint in reality, but Akira could still make out what he said as he sighed. 

‘Akechi, we can’t get involv-’ Akira began countering.

_ “You moron, that’s not what I meant. It’s clear that you and Sumire are both stressed out right now, so why not let loose in Mementos?” _ Akechi asked, his voice dark and filled with malice, but Akira simply shook his head.

‘I don’t want to do anything too reckless right now, Akechi,’ Akira responded calmly, receiving a string of curses muttered from Akechi before letting a grin play onto his face. ‘But you’re right, it would be good stress relief, so maybe once the Shadow Ops are a good way into their investigation we’ll pay it a visit.’

_ “Now that’s what I like to hear!”  _ Akechi began cackling within Akira, his voice becoming fainter and fainter until Akira could no longer hear him as he walked into Station Square. Taking a look around, Akira didn’t see Sumire anywhere, so he decided to rest against the building just above the stairs leading down into the Underground Walkway. 

Luckily, he didn’t have to wait long as he actually felt Sumire’s presence before seeing or even hearing her approach, with the Faith Arcana sparking with energy within him. ‘It’s been awhile since that’s happened…’ Akira thought to himself, his mind being pulled back to the fight with YHWH.

However, Akira was pulled from his thoughts as he felt Sumire grow closer, specifically on the stairs behind him, and he lightly pushed himself off the building and positioned himself so that he could barely not see the stairs. As he felt Sumire basically right next to him, Akira took a step out from his hiding spot with a warm smile on his face.

“Surprise, Sum-” Akira began, face to face to Sumire as she let out an “eep”. However, he stopped as he took in what she was wearing; she had her glasses on with her hair down, but that wasn’t what stopped Akira in his tracks. 

“Wh-what, Senpai?” Sumire asked, slightly abashed but with a grin on her face. Akira blinked as he looked at her; she was wearing the blue dress that she bought so long ago. The dress was blowing slightly in the spring breeze along with Sumire’s long locks, and Akira drew in a sharp intake of air; she looked perfect. “Well, how do I look?” 

Akira snapped back to reality as Sumire was now mere inches from his face, staring up into his eyes with a curious look in her eyes. Regaining his senses, a grin played onto Akira’s face as he steadied his heart beat. “You look perfect, Sumi,” Akira whispered, wrapping his arms around her waist as their eyes locked with one another. A light blush appeared on Sumire’s face as she reached up and briefly kissed Akira on the lips, giggling as she pulled back to see a near undetectable blush on his face as well.

“I wanted to surprise you,” Sumire said, taking Akira’s hand and leaning slightly on his arm. “So, how did I do?”

“I couldn’t ask for a better surprise,” Akira responded, looking down and gently brushing a strand of hair out of Sumire’s face. “So, where do you want to go? Are you hungry?” To no surprise to Akira, Sumire nodded her head, but before he could recommend going somewhere, Sumire motioned to a large box hanging off her arm. 

“Let’s go to the park, Senpai! I want to have a picnic with you!” Sumire exclaimed, happily beaming up at Akira. 

“Sounds good to me! Lead the way!” Akira exclaimed, feeling himself get excited as Sumire began leading him towards Inokashira Park. 

“I’m so excited, Senpai! We haven’t gone to the park just to relax in quite a while!” Sumire was bubbling with excitement in the train car sitting right next to Akira.

“Yeah, we were really busy so we never really had an opportunity to go and relax,” Akira responded with a calm smile, reaching upward to pat Sumire on the head. “I’m also excited just to relax with you, Sumire. Especially on such a nice day like today.”

“Mhm! It’s perfect for a picnic!” Sumire said, leaning against Akira and messing around with the box on the other side of her.

“By the way, what’s in the box over there?” Akira asked, sniffing the air but unable to nail down one specific scent; he could only determine the smell of soy sauce.

“Not telling!” Sumire teased, smiling sweetly up at Akira as he pouted. They tried holding those facial expressions for a few seconds, but neither could do it for very long as they both broke into a fit of giggles. The ride to the park didn’t take very long, especially with the idle chatter they engaged in taking their minds off the wait.

“Here we are!” Akira announced after the short walk from the station to the front of the park, hand in hand with Sumire. 

“Let’s go find a place to sit, Akira!” Sumire excitedly said, practically pulling Akira behind her as she nearly broke out into a sprint down the path. “There’s a spot!” Sumire quickly ran up towards a flat patch of grass at the top of a small incline overlooking the lake. There was a tall cherry tree right beside the spot that was just at the height of it’s blossom. 

As the couple stopped right under the tree, Sumire quickly opened up the box she had been carrying around and pulled out a large blanket neatly folded in thirds. Akira walked up to help setup, but Sumire held her hand out to stop him and gave a sweet smile as she laid out the blanket. “Alright Senpai, take a seat!” Sumire clapped her hands together gleefully as she sat down cross legged, with Akira following suit. The blanket was pure white with violets stitched on around the edges of it, causing Akira to smile as he felt the soft blanket underneath him; it was fluffy and warm, almost as if it just came out of the dryer. Akira returned his attention back to Sumire as he saw her reach back into the wooden box, revealing two smaller, but still large, boxes. “Tada!” Sumire presented one of the boxes to Akira, who gladly took it and finally realized that what he was smelling was a bento box. Complex smells came from his box as he lifted the lid off the box, revealing a large amount of brown rice with chicken, black beans, and an overeasy egg on top along with an assortment of vegetables sprinkled around the box. 

“Wow…” Akira said, his mouth watering as he stared at the amazing looking box in his hands before looking over at Sumire; she held a box the same sized as he did with the same contents in it. 

“Here you go, Akira,” Sumire offered Akira a pair of chopsticks, which he gladly accepted. As Akira and Sumire both broke apart their chopsticks, Sumire stared at Akira as he took a bite of nearly everything, with it all having a coating of soy sauce overtop. She had a nervous look on her face as Akira let the flavors fill every nook of his mouth.

“Mm! That is good, Sumi!” Akira exclaimed as he swallowed the mouthful, with Sumire letting out a sigh of relief.

“That’s good to hear,” Sumire noted as she took a bite of her box, giving Akira a big smile as he went to take another bite. “Do you know what this is?”

Just as Akira was about to shovel another bit into his mouth, he stopped to look at Sumire. His face wrinkled as he thought about her question, before he remembered one of the first times they hung out. “Oh, is this the same bento box from the first time you made me food?” Akira asked, finally taking the bite on his chopsticks.

“Yep, you got it!” Sumire exclaimed, before her face darkened slightly. “I wanted to make this again for you now that I’m me. I’m so happy that you like it, Senpai.”

“I can tell that you put a lot of love into making these,” Akira said between mouthfuls. “The soy sauce was a great addition to this, giving a salty taste to the entire dish. You did an amazing job, Sumi.” As Akira swallowed, he noticed the downcast look in Sumire’s eyes and placed down his chopsticks in his half empty box rather abruptly, startling Sumire as they made eye contact. “Sumire, you don’t have to redo things we did when you thought you were your sister,” Akira said with a slight amount of force in his voice.

Sumire’s eyes widened as she stared at Akira, first in a slight amount of fear from his sudden movements, then in sadness from the realization that she was still trying to somehow redeem herself for being her sister now two years ago and, as Akira reached over and pat her head, finally in amazement at how Akira could make her feel so much better with one sentence. Tears began forming in her ruby eyes, to which Akira quickly brushed them away with the hand resting on her head as he smiled at her. “Akira, I… thank you,” was all Sumire could say, her voice timid and small but full of love and adoration. 

“I want you to live your life as yourself, not as anyone else,” Akira whispered as he moved his head right in front of Sumire’s, slowly bumping his forehead against hers. “I love you, Sumire.”

Sumire let a small smile play onto her face as she blushed slightly; being this close to Akira still made her heart beat faster, but she was used to the feeling at this point. Moving just a little more, Sumire’s lips met Akira’s as she closed her eyes with Akira hugging her tightly. 

The two stayed like that for a while, cuddling on the blanket underneath the cherry tree and finishing their food as they watched the sun slowly set. The sunlight reflected beautifully off the crystal lake, casting an orange light over the entire park. People came and left, from runners to cyclists to other couples just wanting to enjoy the day. Akira and Sumire watched as all sorts of people passed by them, with idle chatter about how their respective sports are going, how strict their coaches are, and how their counterparts in Ryuji and Ann are doing. 

It had been a month since Ryuji and Ann had started dating, and Ann and Sumire had become closer ever since due to their boyfriends living with one another. Throughout the month they had girls' nights while Akira and Ryuji hung out at their apartment, and Akira couldn’t be happier that Sumire was growing closer to Ann. She had become friends with the other Thieves during their final mission against Maruki, but besides Akira she wasn’t close with any of them. 

Akira smiled down at Sumire, who was staring starry eyed at the sunset in front of them and he put his hand on hers. In return Sumire rested her head on Akira’s shoulder, her eyelids falling as she stared up at Akira’s kind face. “Thank you for today, Akira. I really needed this,” she whispered, receiving a sweet smile as Akira rubbed his thumb on the back of her hand. 

“This was your suggestion, Sumi,” Akira lightly teased, and he felt Sumire push him with her body slightly before leaning even more into him.

“You know what I mean, Senpai,” Sumire complained, still having a smile on her face before turning her attention towards the water. “Look at it sparkle, Senpai. It’s beautiful.”

Just then, an idea formed in Akira’s mind as he remembered how entranced Sumire was when the fountains at Destinyland turned on, with multi-colored lights shining through them. Allowing a grin to play onto his face as he noticed no one on the water, Akira barely had to focus at all as a decent amount of wind gathered in front of him. Before Sumire could ask what he was doing, Akira willed the energy forward and into the lake, causing large ripples in the otherwise calm water. 

“Akira? What are you-” Sumire began asking just as the water calmed down again and four spouts of water shot up from the lake. Sumire was stunned beyond words as she stared at the spouts of water flying around thirty feet in the air with the sunlight causing the water droplets in the air to shine and sparkle. “Wow…” was all Sumire could say as more and more water spouts shot up as soon as one came down. Akira pulled her close as he kept the small amount of concentration up, and Sumire looked up again to see him smiling down at her.

“Well, what do you think?” Akira asked softly, and Sumire felt her heart skip a beat as she returned her attention back to the water. Instead of the multiple spouts, a thin wall of water droplets now shot into the air and, with the orange light coming from the sunset causing each droplet to shine bright and sparkle in the air before falling back down to earth.

“It’s… incredible, Senpai,” Sumire breathed out, still not believing her eyes. “Did you do this for me?”

“What sort of question is that, silly? Of course it is!” Akira chuckled as he squeezed Sumire slightly next to him, finally letting the water show come to an end. Sumire looked over at Akira to pout before seeing beads of sweat forming on Akira’s brow that he quickly tried to wipe away. However, she saw it before he was able to do so and Sumire’s face instantly scrunched up.

“Senpai! Don’t overwork yourself!” Sumire scolded Akira, causing the black haired teen to scratch the back of his head bashfully.

“It’s no big deal, Sumi,” Akira tried reassuring her, but her worried expression only persisted. Letting out a sigh, Akira fully wiped the sweat off his forehead. “I’m fine, Sumire. Something like that is child’s play for me; you should know that.” 

Sumire’s worried face began to crack as she thought about it more; she has seen Akira do plenty more than this, but never in reality, at least to her knowledge. Huffing, Sumire let up and allowed her smile to return. “I don’t want you to overdo it, Senpai. But… that was amazing, and I’m glad that you did all that for me.” 

Sumire laid her head against Akira’s body once again, and Akira, wrapping his arm around her, laid down with Sumire right next to him. She shifted closer to Akira, nuzzling her head next to his as her eyes nearly fell entirely. Akira chuckled as he brushed a rogue strang of hair from her face and kissed her on the forehead. “We should probably start packing up soon,” Akira mentioned, but Sumire tightened her grip around Akira’s arm, stopping him before he even began moving.

“We have some more time, don’t we?” Sumire asked sleepily, cuddling even closer to Akira. 

“Fine, you win,” Akira let up easily, smiling as he wrapped both his arms around Sumire, and closed his eyes as Sumire smiled from her victory. The couple napped peacefully for thirty minutes when Akira woke up and, noticing that the sun had set, gently nudged Sumire awake. He began packing up as Sumire got off the blanket and sleepily rubbed her eyes, and the two left the park. After an uneventful and sleepy ride back to Shibuya, Akira took Sumire back to her home. 

With a goodnight kiss, Akira was on his way back home when he received a text message. As he began climbing up the stairs to his apartment room, he saw that the text was from Yusuke.

_ Hello, Akira! I did not wish to bother you and Sumire, but I saw you two resting at Inokashira Park earlier today while I was trying to garner some inspiration for my upcoming piece and it reminded me I have yet to draw you two! If I may inquire, would it be possible for you two to meet me at the park tomorrow? Seeing you two content within each other’s arms gave me a perfect idea for my next painting, so please let me know as soon as possible! _

Akira grinned as he fumbled with his keys to his apartment, typing out his response before entering.

_ I’m not sure about tomorrow, but I’ll talk with Sumire to see when would be the best time for that. I’ll let you know tomorrow, alright? Sumire is probably asleep right now. _

_ Perfect! I will be waiting for your response eagerly! _

‘Classic Yusuke,’ Akira chuckled to himself as he entered the dark apartment. ‘Ah, Ryuji must be asleep.’ Making his way into his room, Akira quickly changed into his night clothes and prepared himself for bed. As he sat down, his phone began buzzing and, as he saw that it was a call from Sumire, he picked it up immediately.

“Hey Sumire,” Akira answered the call.

“Hi Senpai,” Sumire responded, still sounding sleepy. “I just wanted to call you again to say thanks for the amazing day. Especially that water show at the end; that was amazing.”

“Anything for you, Sumi,” Akira whispered into his phone, receiving a giggle from the other end.

“You’re so smooth, Senpai,” Sumire said, still giggling.

“Oh, before I forget, Yusuke texted me just now and was wondering if we could model for one of his paintings soon,” Akira mentioned.

“Really? Um… I won’t be able to until our days off,” Sumire informed Akira, sounding slightly surprised but also excited.

“Alright, I’ll let Yusuke know! Do you want to do it, Sumi?” Akira asked.

“Yes! It sounds fun!” Sumire exclaimed, and Akira let out a sigh of relief away from his phone’s mic. “I should let you go, Senpai. I need to go to bed.”

“Alright, I love you Sumire!”

“I love you too, Akira!”

Sending a quick text to Yusuke relaying the information, Akira put his phone on his charger and laid down on his bed and, after going over the events of the day in his mind, he went to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your patience, everyone! This is a shorter chapter, but I still wanted to make sure everything was correct and was up to snuff. The main issue was figuring out dates (it's currently 2018 for the p.Thieves, so I have to constantly check to see what dates are on what days). As always, a comment is appreciated telling me what you like, what you didn't like, and anything that confused you! I'll be sure to answer them in a timely manner, and thank you again for sticking with me!
> 
> More Shout-outs!
> 
> Thieves of the Night by JudaiNeos04 - https://archiveofourown.org/works/25717009/chapters/62444257
> 
> A game of Life and Death by muddak - https://archiveofourown.org/works/24855673/chapters/60129082
> 
> and of course the constant reminder to go give RainyDays(SunsetHours), or Tharon as I know him, some love with his series Always Together: A Ren and Sumire Romance - https://archiveofourown.org/series/1825528


	8. Golden Days with You

With the University of Tokyo being on break for the entirety of Golden Week, Akira had plenty of free time. However, with Track practices still being scheduled due to the upcoming Meet in one week along with having to study for their exams in two weeks, Akira and Ryuji were still keeping busy, and the week had only just started with it being only Tuesday.

“Damn, today’s practice was rough,” Ryuji groaned, massaging his shoulder as he slumped into the couch facing 

“You can say that again…” Akira muttered to himself, walking past Ryuji with a cup of coffee and sat down on the couch perpendicular to it. He set down the cup of coffee after taking a small sip of it; the coffee maker he had wasn’t anywhere near as good as the one Sojiro had nor did he have any of his favorite beans, but it was still some pretty damn good coffee. The only sound that filled the room was the television playing old episodes from the latest season of Featherman.

“Aw, c’mon guys! It can’t be that bad, right?” Ann asked cheerfully as she moved from the hallway and into the living room with a towel in her right hand. She was wearing her normal jean shorts along with a plain black sleeveless shirt as she squeezed some excess water from her long hair.

“You weren’t there today, the coaches were extra brutal today,” Ryuji said, moving down to his thighs as he kneaded both of them roughly. “Right, Akira?” Both Ryuji and Ann looked at Akira as he nodded; despite his stamina and strength, Akira had been holding back nearly all of his power for most of practice, working up a sweat from just one lap. It didn’t help either that Coach Fukuda made him do jump after jump for the last hour of practice, making Akira run down the straight of the Track if his mark fell from the jump before.

“I don’t think I’ve ever felt grosser than after today…” Akira complained, distinctly remembering struggling with his shirt as it was heavy with sweat and was sticking to his body. It was so bad that he needed Ryuji’s help to get it off of him completely. 

“Now that I think about it, we’ve never really seen you struggle that much during our time as Phantom Thieves,” Ann noted, her eyes still on Akira while she moved to and sat next to Ryuji, who was wearing his normal “zomg” shirt along with a pair of black athletic shorts. 

“Well, you have to remember that the Metaverse works in weird ways,” Akira, who was wearing loose fitting jeans and a white t-shirt, began explaining, leaning back and crossing his arms and legs. “Especially after we awakened to our personas, our strength, speed, and stamina sky rocketed. If it didn’t, we wouldn’t have stood a chance against the shadows.”

Ryuji and Ann sat completely still; somehow they both forgot about Akira going into these sort of rants. “O-oh, I guess that makes sense,” Ryuji scratched the back of his head, hoping that would be the end of the conversation; he really didn’t want to think at the moment.

“Mhm! I remember Morgana telling Makoto about how she wouldn’t be able to defend herself without her persona,” Ann added on, nodding her head in agreement much to Ryuji’s dismay. Thankfully for him, Ann noticed the slight wince from him and turned towards him. “Ryuji, are you okay?   
“I’m fine, I just don’t wanna use my brain right now…” Ryuji muttered, massaging the back of his neck as he sank further into the couch. 

“When do you ever?” Ann teased Ryuji, who stared tiredly up at her but just let out a long sigh. Grinning, Ann patted Ryuji on the shoulder before turning towards Akira. “So, where’s Sumire?”

“Well, she’s on break as today was her last day of classes, but she’s at practice right now. She said she’d text me once she was done so I could pick her up and let her shower here,” Akira said, his eyes wandering onto the television screen to see the Ultraroid finish off a giant rhino with its finishing move. “Ah, I see you’ve nearly watched all of this season, Ann.”

To Akira’s confusion, Ann chuckled nervously and played with a strand of still wet hair. “Well, you see Akira, after you guys showed me the final episode, I asked Ryuji over to watch the entire thing in one sitting,” Ann said, a light blush forming on her cheeks as she averted eye contact with Akira.

“Heh, so you and Sumire both,” Akira laughed lightly with Ryuji breaking out into a grin. Before Ann could say anything, Akira continued on. “After watching that finale, I’ve seen her watching the final attack from Feather Red on her phone multiple times.”

“To be fair to her, Akira, that was a pretty damn awesome moment,” Ryuji interjected, with Ann and Akira’s attention landing on him. “Also, she did compare you with Feather Red, so I think she’s fair in liking him a lot.”

Ryuji’s grin grew larger as he saw the faintest blush appear on Akira’s cheeks and Ann let out a gasp. “Wait, Akira! Are you… actually blushing?” Ann leaned forward as Akira instinctively tried to hide his face, making Ann’s face light up in glee even more. “Oh my god, you are! I never thought that you could even get flustered!”

Akira caught Ryuji’s gaze and winced; he knew that he just gave Ryuji something to tease him about, and that Ryuji would never let it go. Akira sighed as he shook off his blush, returning his attention back onto the blonde couple. Luckily, his phone began ringing just as he was about to defend himself and he quickly pulled it out. He answered the call immediately, not even bothering to check the caller id as he desperately wanted to get away from the topic.

“Hello?” Akira questioned, seeing two disappointed looks on Ryuji’s and Ann’s faces. 

“Hi Akira! I’m all done with practice, so I’ll be ready whenever you get here!” Sumire’s voice rang clearly, lifting Akira’s mood instantly. He got to his feet as she finished her sentence, with Ryuji and Ann looking confused.

“Alright! I’m on my way right now! Ann is already over, so can just hang out if you want!” Akira exclaimed, and Ann and Ryuji smiled as they finally realized what was going on as Akira hung up and put his phone back into his pocket.

“I’m assuming that was Sumire?” Ann asked, receiving a nod from Akira who didn’t bother covering up his excitement.

“Yeah, I’ll be right back. While I’m gone, think of something for the four of us to do, alright? Sumire has been kinda stressed out recently with school and practice, so I want to do something that will get her mind off those things,” Akira said, picking up his bag and slipping into his shoes before turning to walk out of the door.

“You got it, Akira!” Ryuji exclaimed as he and Ann gave Akira a thumbs up, with their former leader looking back and returning the gesture.

“Yeah, you can count on us!” Ann matched Ryuji’s enthusiasm, and Akira smiled at the two before opening the door and, giving one final wave goodbye, left to go pick up Sumire. Ann and Ryuji both slumped back into the couch, letting their hands fall on the couch. Silence filled the living room as Ryuji’s eyes constantly tried to fall from a combination of being tired from practice, the couch’s comfiness, and the warmth coming from Ann’s body being so close to him.

“Well, we should probably start thinking on what to do,” Ann broke the silence, jolting Ryuji awake just as his eyes fully closed.

“Wha-? Oh yeah,” Ryuji shook his head in an attempt to wake himself up.

“Did you really just fall asleep?” Ann asked incredulously as Ryuji forced himself to his feet.

“Can you blame me? Today has been a long day so far, especially with you forcin’ me to study!” Ryuji fired back, a hint of annoyance breaking through.

“Wait, are you actually studying?” Ann asked, taken aback by the sudden revelation.

“Yeah? I mean, you threatened me with some sort of punishment if I didn’t, didn’t you?” Ryuji responded, turning his head around as he stopped mid-way between the couch and television. Ann blinked twice, shocked silent by what Ryuji said as Ryuji turned fully around with a confused look on his face as well. “Ann, you good?”

“O-oh, yeah! It’s just… I didn’t actually expect you to start studying,” Ann said abashedly, and Ryuji’s face went blank.

“Wait, what?!” Ryuji’s voice cracked slightly as he looked at Ann in disbelief. “So you’re tellin’ me that you weren’t serious about the threat? I’ve been studyin’ for no reason?”

“It’s not for “no reason”, Ryuji! Don’t you want to learn and be good at your job?” Ann countered, now getting to her own feet and moving just in front of Ryuji. As she reached him, she poked her index finger square on his chest and stared directly into his eyes. “Well, now that I know you’ve been actually studying, you’re going to continue, got it?”

Ryuji gulped as he tried to look Ann in the eyes, but her piercing gaze was too much for him as he looked down at the ground instead.

“G-got it…” Ryuji mumbled, his voice trembling slightly but enough for Ann to grin.

“Oh? Is the Track team’s rising star actually nervous of his girlfriend?” Ann teased, and got the reaction she wanted as Ryuji blushed and backed up.

“Wh-what? Hell no!” Ryuji shouted, his voice breaking which only made Ann’s grin grow larger as she took another step towards him.

“Then why are you backing up, huh? And don’t think I haven’t noticed you blushing, mister,” Ann continued pushing, her grin becoming devious as Ryuji finally noticed his blush himself and tried to hide it with his arm. “You can’t hide it, Ryuji!” Suddenly, Ann sprung forward, catching Ryuji off guard as she forced his hand down from his face to peck him on the cheek. However, Ryuji stumbled backwards as she did so, tripping over his feet and falling over, accidentally bringing Ann down with him onto the carpeted floor. 

“Are you ok- Ann?” Ryuji began, concerned for Ann’s safety as he tried to bring both of them up to a sitting position, but he heard a fit of giggling come from above him. Before he could react, Ryuji felt Ann push down on his body with her own, her loose hair covering his face. 

“You’re so cute when you’re flustered, Ryuji,” Ann continued to giggle, not bothering to move her hair from Ryuji’s face, the sight making her laugh even harder.

“What’s gotten into you?” Ryuji was barely able to ask over the ever increasing giggles from Ann as he felt a smile tug at his lips from the contagious happiness exuding from Ann.

“Well, it’s Golden Week and I get to spend it with you, duh! How could I not be excited?” Ann asked, finally brushing her hair from Ryuji’s face so he could see her giant smile. He couldn’t help himself anymore as a smile formed on his own face along with his blush increasing ever so slightly.

“Heh, I guess you’re right,” Ryuji chuckled as he wrapped his arms around Ann’s waist, with Ann letting her entire body rest on Ryuji. Ann lifted her head to stare Ryuji in the eyes again and slowly moved her lips towards his, both of them nearly meeting just as the door to the apartment opened.

“What… are you two doing?” They heard Akira’s voice ring overhead, and they both jolted their heads up to see him staring at them in confusion.

“U-um…” Ann quickly rolled off of Ryuji, and both of them saw Akira and Sumire grinning down at them. Their cheeks lit up bright red as Akira and Sumire made their way into the apartment, letting the door close behind them. 

“It isn’t what it looks like, Aki-” Ryuji began, before stopping as Akira waved him off.

“I don’t need to know the details,” Akira replied nonchalantly, still grinning at the two of them before turning towards Sumire. She was in her normal workout clothes with a slight amount of sweat covering her body. “You can put your bag in my room while you take your shower, Sumi,” Akira said as he pointed towards the hallway. 

“Alright! Thanks, Akira!” Sumire exclaimed, getting on her tiptoes to kiss Akira on the lips before turning to walk towards the bathroom. Hearing the door close and the water begin, Akira returned his attention to his blonde friends who were still on the ground.

“Actually, I am curious: why are you two on the ground?” Akira asked, narrowing his eyes at the two. 

“Ann got excited suddenly and knocked me off balance,” Ryuji explained truthfully, much to Ann’s embarrassment. However, she couldn’t deny what Ryuji said as she rubbed the back of her head and laughed nervously.

“Well, did you guys find something to do?” Akira asked, and the color drained from both Ann’s and Ryuji’s faces as they both shook their heads. “Figured as much…” Letting out a sigh, Akira moved towards the television and, kneeling directly in front of it, opened up a cabinet to reveal the newest game system with a few games beside it. 

“What are you thinking of doing, Akira?” Ryuji couldn’t contain his curiosity as he moved towards Akira, who now had in his hands four game cases. “Oh, are we going to play a game? I wanna play some Super Maria Bash! The mini games in it are so much fun!”

“I agree, but Ann and Sumire haven’t played that many games before and I’m pretty sure we all like our relationships right now as they are,” Akira retorted, with Ryuji suddenly nodding his head which only made Ann confused.

“Well then how about… Mega Crash Sisters? We can always turn on items or play the story mode?” Ryuji questioned, kneeling down beside Akira to look through their games.

“Hmm… that is fun, but I think it would be too stressful for Sumire,” Akira shook his head, creasing his brow in concentration as he and Ryuji continued searching and thinking.

“Aha! Let’s play Kiribi’s Amazing World!” Ryuji exclaimed, grabbing the game on the bottom and showing it to Akira and Ann. It had a blue, circular creature on the front of it with two cartoon eyes with stubby legs and arms with a beautiful green landscape behind him with what appeared to be his friends running over the hills. There was a small penguin with a tiny mallet in his hands running next to another round creature floating above the ground, it’s entire body inflated as it held a spear above itself. Rather than being blue like Kiribi, it was brown except for it’s stomach, which was a pale peach color with a bandana covering the lower half of its body. Finally, a good distance away from those two was a masked figure, but like Kiribi and the other round creature it was also spherical, so it’s mask covered its entire body. It was purple with a shining sword in his right hand and had a cape flapping behind him.

“I don’t think we’ve ever played this before,” Akira noted as he took the case from Ryuji’s hand and looked on the back. “It’s four player and co-op, so why not? We just need to wait for Sumire to get out of the sho-”

“All done!” Sumire walked into the living room, stopping as she saw everyone still on the ground. Akira smiled up at her; her hair was down and still slightly wet, and she was wearing her usual summer blouse with white shorts along with her glasses on. She tilted her head to the side as she approached Akira and Ryuji, with Ann also moving closer to the two guys. “What are you guys doing?”

“Do you want to play a game, Sumi?” Akira asked, and Sumire’s face instantly lit up.

“Yes! I rarely get to play them because of gymnastics and school, so I would love to!” Sumire exclaimed happily, and Akira’s smile widened as he grabbed four controllers. After Akira dealt all of them out and turned the game system on, the two couples walked back to the couches with Sumire and Akira taking the one closer to the door. As they all got situated, Akira got through the various menus, hitting “New Game” and “Multiplayer” as a colorful scene of Kiribi and his friends having fun in a picnic played behind the menus. After hitting “Multiplayer”, the four were met with a character select screen with four rectangles containing Kiribi, the penguin named Prince Didi, the bandana wearing creature named Wobbly Doo, and finally the armored creature with the sword named Samu. 

“So, who do you want to be?” Akira asked Sumire while pulling a blanket over the two of them. “I’ll let you choose first, so just pick who you like the most.”

“Really?! Hmm…” Sumire’s eyes lit up before staring at the screen, her eyes wandering from character to character. However, Akira grinned as Sumire hovered over Kiribi just long enough for the blue puffball to begin doing a slight wobble that could be described as dancing and her face lit up in glee. “Akira, look! He’s so cute!” Sumire was bouncing slightly on the couch in child-like excitement as she looked up at Akira.

“Then pick him!” Akira chuckled as Sumire’s eyes were shining with excitement as she looked from Akira to the television, eventually bringing her controller from under the blanket and nervously looking at Akira.

“Which button do I press?” Sumire asked shyly, looking down at her controller in confusion. Smiling at his girlfriend, Akira showed Sumire what did what while Ryuji and Ann, who were sharing another blanket, smiled at the couple as Sumire picked Kiribi and Akira chose Samu.

“Alright, now we just need you guys to pick!” Akira exclaimed, gesturing over at Ryuji and Ann. Ryuji began turning towards Ann to see if she also needed help, but as his eyes passed over the television he saw her pick Prince Didi.

“I love penguins! Sorry Ryuji if you wanted to be him,” Ann started cheerfully before noticing the slight disappointment on Ryuji’s face. However, he quickly brightened up as he smiled at her, bringing the blanket up over both of them with one hand while he chose Wobbly Doo with his other. 

“Alright, are we ready?” Akira asked the three, and after receiving three “yeahs”, he hit “Start Game”. The screen went black before a simple but cute loading screen flashed on it, showing the four characters sitting together under an apple tree with the sun setting behind them. As the game loaded, Sumire brought her legs up onto the couch and cuddled closer to Akira, making sure to keep her controller above the blanket so she could still see the buttons. Akira smiled down at Sumire, quickly kissing her forehead before returning his attention back to the television as the first level loaded, just barely seeing Sumire blush out of the corner of his eye.

The first level was a grassy land with large hills and large trees in the foreground and background, with enemies that looked strikingly like Wobbly Doo only without his bandana. As the four made their way through the level, Akira and Ryuji tutored Sumire and Ann what their characters did; Kiribi had the ability to suck in foes and, for certain enemies, was able to copy their abilities, while Prince Didi had the ability to slam the enemies with his hammer and even had the ability to float by inflating his small body with air. 

“Ooh, I swallowed the fire guy Akira!” Sumire exclaimed, excitedly pointing at Kiribi as a belt of fire appeared around the bottom half of his orby body along with a headband with the same fire just above his large eyes.

“Awesome! Just press the B button to shoot a continuous stream of fire at these guys,” Akira explained as the group approached a group of enemies that were mushroom-like in appearance with strange holes cut out where their eyes should have been. Taking a quick look at her controller, Sumire moved her thumb over the “B” button and pressed down. Instantly, Kiribi opened up his mouth and fire erupted out in a cone, hitting the mushroom people in front of him and making them explode into little white stars signifying their defeat.

“Nice work, Sumire!” Ryuji gave a thumbs up as he moved Wobbly Doo towards the nearest door, which was entirely black with a few stars above it and entered in. Sumire returned the gesture just as the screen lit back up, with the four characters standing in a row in a wooden cabin of sorts. 

“Who’s that?” Ann asked as the screen pulled out, revealing a large monkey man with a wooden mallet in his hands. 

“Uhh… Oh, at the bottom of the screen! It says… Smack’ems,” Sumire pointed out, scrunching up her nose in confusion as the name sounded silly to her.

However, before any of the other three could comment, the screen shook as Smack’ems let out a loud shout before beginning to stomp forward towards the four. Both Akira and Ryuji jumped over the miniboss, and Samu began slashing away at the back of the giant enemy. The health bar at the bottom right began steadily going down as Wobbly Doo also joined in, attacking it from above, but Smack’ems rose his mallet into the air and slammed it down where Samu and Wobbly Doo were. Akira managed to react in time, jumping to safety and over the shock blast, but Ryuji couldn’t do much as Wobbly Doo didn’t have much horizontal movement in the air as the miniboss hit him.

“Agh, dammit…” Ryuji cursed as Wobbly Doo’s sprite blinked a few times and a fifth of his health bar was taken out. 

“Don’t worry, I got this!” Ann announced as Prince Didi jumped into the air and, pressing the “B” button, he spun around with his mallet outstretched and hit Smack’ems five times. This attack brought the miniboss down to half his health bar, which made it stomp the ground in a fit of rage. This sent out numerous white shockwaves out along the ground, hitting Prince Didi as he landed along with Kiribi, causing Sumire to lose the fire attack.

“Oh no! I lost it!” Sumire yelped, making Kiribi jump away as Smack’ems slammed down his mallet in front of him. 

“You can suck up those shock blast things once they stop and shoot it back at him, Sumire,” Ryuji said as he quickly moved the left joystick towards Smack’ems twice, with Wobbly Doo breaking out into a silly sprint with his arms over his head with his spear. Pressing the attack button, Wobbly Doo dove forward with his spear outstretched, sending a flurry of attacks at Smack’ems and brought its hp down to roughly 20%. 

As he was doing that, Sumire noticed one of those white energy orbs Ryuji mentioned and sucked it, with Kiribi inflating. As Wobbly Doo was finished with his combo, Kiribi shot out the white energy, bringing Smack’ems nearly down with just a sliver of health left.

“It’s showtime!” Akira exclaimed, making Samu run towards Smack’ems which was actually him gliding with his wings. Sumire looked up at Akira and saw the pure joy in his eyes and smiled; it had been a while since she had seen Akira simply enjoy something this simple, and she took in the sight before returning her attention back to the game. She did so just in time to see Samu reach Smack’ems and, with Akira spinning the joystick around entirely and pressing “B”, Samu spun so fast that he became a tornado, finishing off Smack’ems. The entire screen shook once, then twice, and finally an explosion happened around Smack’ems to reveal him on the ground. 

“Nice work, Akira!” Ryuji exclaimed, sharing a grin with his best friend as the group began to move on, with Sumire absorbing the miniboss and gaining the hammer ability. Soon after defeating the miniboss, the group reached the ending door which was much wider than the other doors. Upon entering it, the four were met with a cannon with green hills in the background going as far as they could see. 

“Is that the end?” Ann asked, receiving an answer as Akira jumped into the cannon and the other three turned into sparkles and flew into the cannon along with him. A bar appeared next to the cannon, and Akira pressed and held the “A” button until it was completely filled. Letting go of the button, the four of their characters shot into the air, passing by numerous platforms, some green and grassy while others higher up were made out of clouds until they reached the top platform. 

“Woo! We did it, guys!” Sumire let out joyfully as the four characters did a cute dance to the ending jingle. 

“Do we want to continue?” Akira asked as they were met with a map of the green world with what appeared to be five levels, with the one they just beat lighting up green. 

“I’m down to keep going!” Ryuji pumped his fist in front of him while giving Akira a toothy grin. Ann matched Ryuji’s grin and gave Akira a thumbs up, but before Akira could select the second level, he heard a loud rumbling come from beside him. The three knew what that meant as Sumire smiled sheepishly at Akira with a slight blush on her cheeks.

“Could we go grab something to eat Akira?” Sumire asked, meeting Akira’s eyes. “Then we can keep playing after!”

“Sounds good to me,” Akira lightly chuckled as he removed the blanket covering him and Sumire and got to his feet in one motion. “Do you two want to come along? We’ll probably just stop by the cafe in Shibuya.”

To Akira’s surprise, the blondes’ answers weren’t immediately yes as they looked over at each other. “Well, you see Akira… Ryuji and I already ate when he came and got me after your practice…” Ann said as the two scratched the backs of their heads in unison.

“Yeah… sorry about that guys…” Ryuji sighed, letting his head hang low.

“Eh, it’s no big deal!” Akira exclaimed, startling the two blondes as they looked up at him in surprise. “I mean, we have the entire week to hang out, so it’s really okay.”

“Yeah!” Sumire joined in, jumping to her feet with her face shining with excitement. “We won’t be long!” As she finished, the couple began making their way towards the door and, with one final wave back to Ryuji and Ann, left the apartment. They went down the stairs as the elevator was in use, and quickly found themselves in the lobby. 

“Let’s take my car,” Akira said, grabbing Sumire’s hand just as they exited the building and were about to head towards the station. Sumire looked back at Akira in slight confusion, but his warm smile broke her confusion as she returned it with a smile of her own. The two climbed into Akira’s car and they were on their way to Shibuya.

The ride there was entirely non-eventful, with Akira and Sumire engaging in small talk while music played from Akira’s bluetooth device. As they arrived in Shibuya and began walking towards Central Street, Akira saw that the normal crowd was out and about and checked his phone for the time; it was 5 p.m exactly. However, as he was going to put his phone away, he noticed that he had an unread message from someone and decided to open it up. Sumire peered over his shoulder as they both noticed that it was from Futaba, and Akira figured it was fine for Sumire to look.

_ Hey Akira! Mona and I are pretty bored right now, so do you think it would be okay if we can come over for a little bit? Pleeeease? I’ll bring snacks! _

Akira looked back at Sumire as a grin formed on his face, and Sumire simply nodded at him as before he returned his attention back to his phone.

_ That’s fine with me, and I’m sure Ryuji won’t care. Ann and Sumire are there right now as well and we were playing some Kiribi, but we would love to have you guys over! Oh, and don’t worry about the snacks. _

_ Ann’s over there? What, are her and Ryuji dating or something? _

Akira looked back at Sumire, his eyes wide open in fear as he didn’t want Morgana to find out like this. He was hoping for an idea from Sumire, but all Sumire did was just giggle at him. Akira didn’t have time, however, as Futaba was typing out a response.

_ It’s not that; Ann just needed some time away from modelling, so we invited her over to play some games _

“Akira, it’s not nice to lie like that!” Sumire exclaimed behind Akira as the two continued walking towards Central Street.

“I shouldn’t be the one to tell them, Sumi,” Akira said, letting out a sigh of relief as Futaba sent back a thumbs up along with a text saying that she would be there in an hour and a half. Sumire narrowed her eyes at Akira and wanted to keep pressing the issue, but decided to let it go as they just reached the cafe. “After you,” Akira bowed towards Sumire, who giggled at him as she entered the cafe with Akira right behind her. 

They quickly found their seats towards the front of the cafe and, after a short wait, ordered their food. Akira ordered the steak with coffee while Sumire got the stack of pancakes along with a frui-tea. The waiter walked off after writing down their order, and Sumire looked back towards Akira who was grinning for some reason.

“Akira? What’s up with that grin?” Sumire asked innocently, unable to hear the low grumbling within Akira.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Akira waved her off, his grin turning into a smile.

_ “Nothing? You bastard…”  _ Akechi cursed inside Akira.  _ “Are you both trying to make me remember my failures?” _

‘Oh calm down,’ Akira scolded Akechi within him, but he only felt his rival get more irritated. ‘She doesn’t know about that, and I didn’t have anything else sweet to make for Ann.’

_ “I don’t like you treating me like some sort of child, Akira,” _ Akechi growled.

As the two wild card users bickered at each other, Sumire tilted her head to the side and frowned as Akira’s facial expressions shifted rapidly. However, as she tried working through what was going on, she remembered seeing Akechi inside of Akira’s palace after he sealed YHWH and it made sense to her.

“Akira, are you talking with Akechi right now?” Sumire asked, and Akira jolted from his thoughts and stared at Sumire in surprise and, by the look on his face, she knew her gut feeling was correct. “So you are, huh? That’s amazing that you can do it out here! I can only make contact with Kasumi inside of the Metaverse and in your palace.” 

As Sumire finished, she looked down at the table and Akira could see a hint of sadness in her eyes. “Hey Sumi,” Akira spoke softly, getting her attention as she looked back up at him. “Do you want to see Kasumi again? We can go tonight if you want.”

“Really?!” Sumire’s face instantly brightened in a mix of hope and excitement. “You would do that for me, Senpai?” 

Akira chuckled as he leaned forward on the table and reached over for Sumire’s head, patting it twice before letting his hand rest on it. Sumire’s cheeks burned bright red as he did so, but she couldn’t break eye contact with him even though her heart felt like it was about to burst. “What did I tell you, silly? We would go in whenever you wanted,” Akira leaned forward to kiss Sumire on her forehead, but just before he could reach her he felt the High Priestess and Empress Arcana rise within him. Just as he figured out what was going on, Akira saw two feminine figures out of the corner of his eye and smiled as he turned his head to see Makoto and Haru at the head of the table.

“Hey Akira, Sumire,” Makoto said with a smirk while Haru had her hands clasped and was smiling at the two, and Akira and Sumire both realized the position they were in. Sumire’s face flushed entirely red as Akira sat back into his seat, a grin on his face as he turned towards Makoto and Haru.

“How have you two been?” Haru asked happily, looking between Akira and Sumire.

“We’ve been great, Haru!” Akira responded upon seeing Sumire fidgeting nervously. He wasn’t the only one to notice as Makoto’s smirk grew even wider.

“How long have you two been going out, Sumire? I feel like you should be used to this at this point,” she pointed out. Hearing her name, Sumire jumped slightly in her seat and frantically moved her gaze from Makoto to Haru to Akira, before trying to look elsewhere. Akira chuckled at Sumire as she tried to calm herself down in vain before looking at Makoto.

“She’s been getting better at it, and she’s even been trying to embarrass me back,” Akira stated to Sumire’s horror.

“Se-Senpai! Don’t say things like that!” Sumire exclaimed, and the other three laughed as she tried shaking off her blush. Seeing Sumire bright red, Akira figured she was close to her limit and let out one last chuckle before facing the two older girls once again.

“So, what brings you two here? I thought your universities were far away from Shibuya,” Akira asked Makoto and Haru, seeing out of the corner Sumire breathe a sigh of relief.

“Well, we have the week off from university and since we’re meeting up this Saturday, we decided to get a hotel room in Shibuya so we could meet up faster,” Haru responded, with Makoto nodding right beside her.

“That’s right,” Makoto confirmed before narrowing her eyes at Akira. “What are you two doing here? I thought you would have preferred to cook something, Akira.”

“I’ve been cooking for a while, and Sumire wanted to go out,” Akira replied nonchalantly with a small, timid nod from Sumire from the other side of the table. However, he felt uneasy as Makoto still looked suspiciously at him.

“Aren’t you rooming with Ryuji? I could have sworn he would have been with you,” Makoto continued pressing on. Akira nodded hesitantly, not sure where she was taking this. However, both her and Haru stared at him expectantly as if they wanted him to continue on, and even Sumire was looking at him curiously.

“What? He said he ate earlier with Ann, so that’s why he’s not here with us,” Akira said, and suddenly Makoto’s and Haru’s face lit up in glee.

“You said he went out with Ann?” Haru asked playfully, and Akira instantly kicked himself internally as he knew that he slipped up.

“So, are those two dating?” Makoto leaned forward onto the table, peering into Akira’s face as he tried to keep it calm and steady. However, Makoto and Haru sat down at the table with Makoto next to Akira and Haru next to Sumire. “Come on, just tell us Akira! We aren’t going anywhere until you speak up!”

‘Dammit, why does it have to be now that she’s persistent?’ Akira cursed internally, letting out a sigh and allowed his previously balled up hands to loosen up. He stared into Makoto’s and Haru’s eyes; they weren’t going to believe any lie he could fabricate. Either way, he was more concerned about Morgana figuring out through a text message than anything else, and he knew he couldn’t get himself out of this situation any other way. “Alright fine, you two win. Yes, they are dating,” Akira sighed again, letting his head drop in defeat as Makoto smiled and Haru clapped her hands together. However, before either of them could say anything, Akira put up his hand to get their attention. “However, please don’t tell anyone else, especially Morgana. It just doesn’t feel right if it’s me or anyone else telling him.”

“Right, Mona-chan likes Ann,” Haru noted, looking down at the table. The four there clearly remembered all the times Morgana called Ann “Lady Ann” and could only imagine his reaction to Ann being taken, especially by Ryuji. Silence fell over them as Sumire fully calmed down just as her and Akira’s food and drinks came. 

“Oh, do you two want something?” The waiter asked Makoto and Haru, who quickly gave their order and the waiter left them in silence once again as the couple dug into their food, Sumire quickly eating hers with Akira right behind her.

“So, how has university been, Akira?” Haru finally broke the silence as Akira and Sumire finished their food.

“It’s been fun. My classes are a lot harder than the ones at Shujin and my highschool in my hometown, but it’s nothing I can’t manage,” Akira replied, nodding towards Makoto who smiled back at him. 

“Oh right! Didn’t you also join the Track team?” Haru asked, with both her and Makoto staring intently at Akira as he only mentioned it very briefly in text.

“Yeah, I did,” Akira said, rubbing the back of his head. “Ryuji put me in a bad position and I was kinda forced to accept. Now I’m the only Long Jumper on the team, and like I said in the group chat there’s a Meet coming up next week

“That sounds really stressful, Akira. Will you be okay?” Haru asked concernedly, leaning on the table. Akira grinned at her as he took a sip of his coffee, placing it down onto the table and staring at the three girls, his eyes full of confidence.

“I’ve been through worse, so I should be fine,” Akira jokingly stated, but the serious look in his eyes made Haru and Makoto feel at peace while Sumire smiled at her boyfriend. “Anyways, how has university been for you two?”

Makoto and Haru went into what they had been doing for the past two years, how much they had learned in that time. “I truly am thankful for the time we spent together, Akira. You helped me realize just who I want to be and why I’m studying for, and that’s coming in handy in university more than you know,” Makoto said, sharing a smile with Akira.

“I’m glad to hear that, Makoto,” Akira nodded at Makoto before turning his attention to Haru, who seemed excited about something.

“I’m also learning a lot! My craftsmanship abilities have gotten a lot better over the past few years, and even my coffee brewing has improved drastically!” Haru exclaimed.

“That’s amazing to hear, Haru!” Sumire beamed at the older girl, pumping her fist into the air.

“That’s not all! I’ve been in talks with Takakura, and we might be able to get my store open by the time I graduate university!” 

“Wait, really?! That’s awesome Haru!” Akira exclaimed, and Haru beamed at her former leader, clearly proud of what she was doing. “You really deserve it, Haru! I’m sure you’ll do great.”

“Thanks, Akira!” Haru replied with a sweet smile just as the waiter returned to give Makoto and Haru their food as well as giving Sumire and Akira a refill on their drinks. As the four continued catching up, Akira decided it best to avoid talking about the Shadow Ops and the incident with Ann and Ryuji against those Aberrations. However, as he explained how Ryuji and Ann became a couple to the older girls, he realized that the reason they confessed was due to that near death situation, so he stopped abruptly as he was describing the events of that day past the photoshoot.

“Akira? Is something wrong?” Haru asked, tilting her head to the side as both her and Makoto stared at Akira in confusion. Sumire instantly knew why Akira had stopped and was trying to find a way around the issue, but no matter which way she looked at the events of the day, she couldn’t find another answer that wasn’t a lie. However, she saw a slight amount of panic in Akira’s eyes and knew that she had to try.

“Um… maybe we shouldn’t discuss it any further and let Ryuji and Ann say how it happened! We’re all meeting on Saturday, aren’t we?” Sumire exclaimed, beginning the sentence timidly but gaining confidence as Akira’s eyes lit up and he mouthed the words “Thank you” towards her.

“You’re right, that would be for the best…” Makoto admitted even though she and Haru looked disappointed. However, Haru shook her head and gave a huge smile to Akira and Sumire.

“That’s fine though, I can’t wait to see everyone!” she exclaimed, brightening the mood nearly instantaneously as three smiles crept onto the other’s faces.

“Me too!” Akira said as he remembered his promise to Futaba and Yusuke. Almost in sync, he and Makoto checked their phones for the time; it was 7 p.m.

“Wow, we’ve been talking for around two hours already,” Makoto pointed out as she and Akira slipped their phones back into their pockets. “Well, we should really be going. Haru and I still want to do some shopping today before the sun sets.”

“That’s alright, Sumire and I need to head back either wa-” Akira began before feeling his phone vibrate once again. Checking to see who it was, he saw that it was another text from Futaba.

_ Hey Akira, sorry but me and Morgana got roped into helping Sojiro tonight… I guess we’ll just have to meet up another time, right? _

Akira chuckled as he slipped his phone back into his pocket; he would have to respond to that later. As he looked back up, he saw three confused faces staring at him and smiled. “That was just Futaba; apparently Boss is making her and Morgana work tonight. Although I’m not sure what he would have Morgana do…” Akira murmured to himself, but it was still loud enough for the three girls to hear. They all grinned at Akira as he tried to figure it out, but before he could Makoto and Haru stood up.

“Well, we really should be going,” Makoto said, readjusting her bag on her shoulder as Haru moved next to her. Akira snapped out of his thoughts and smiled at the two of them, also moving to get up. He and Sumire stood up to stand in front of the two older girls and, after saying their goodbyes, the four parted ways with Akira and Sumire quickly heading back to his car.

“So, are we actually going to tell everyone about what happened with Ryuji and Ann?” Sumire asked as Akira pulled out of his parking spot and began driving back to his apartment.

“I gave my word to Mitsuru to not tell them until they were a good way into their investigation,” Akira began, and Sumire nodded as he seemed like he wanted to continue. “This has been long enough, and besides, now would be the best time when we’re all together. I wouldn’t want to make them worry over text.”

“You’re right, Akira,” Sumire nodded solemnly as she closed her eyes in thought, remembering the state Ryuji and Ann were in when they arrived at the fight. They were able to win, but what would have happened if they hadn’t been there to stop those shadows?

The car went silent as Akira stopped at a stop light as both he and Sumire were concentrating on the Shadow Ops and their Investigation. However, Akira shook his head free of the thoughts as the light turned green; it was out of his control, and he had other things to worry about at the moment. 

Taking a glance to his left, Akira noticed that Sumire was looking down at her lap, her eyes unfocused as if in deep thought. “Hey Sumi, let’s not worry about it,” Akira softly spoke, breaking Sumire out of her thoughts as she looked up at Akira. “It’s like Ryuji said back then; the Shadow Ops have this under control, so we can leave it in their hands.” Sumire stared blankly at Akira unblinking for a second before matching his sweet smile and nodding.

“Yeah!” She exclaimed, nodding her head as she was happy to see Akira finally moving past his desire to help and throw himself into danger. The two finally arrived back at the apartment complex and, after parking his car, Akira took Sumire’s hand and led her back up to his apartment. She seemed like she had a decent amount of energy left still, but he knew that she probably only had around an hour or two left before she would get drowsy. 

“We’re back,” Akira announced as he swung open the door to the apartment, half expecting to see Ryuji and Ann in another weird position but was surprised to see them cuddled underneath their blanket and rewatching the final episode of Featherman. 

“Oh, you’re rewatching it again? We’re coming up to the part, Akira!” Sumire exclaimed happily, pulling Akira into the apartment as Feather Red was about to land the final attack. Grinning, Akira allowed Sumire to pull him as she bounded into the couch, her eyes glued to the screen along with Ann and Ryuji. At this point, Akira had lost track of how many times they had watched this scene, but it always made him happy to watch it again as he loved seeing the sparkle in Sumire’s eyes, especially afterwards as Feather White confesses her love to Feather Red.

Once the rewatch of the episode was over, Ryuji finally turned towards Akira and Sumire, who had also bundled up under their blanket with Sumire having her legs up on the couch and resting her body against Akira’s. “So, you guys were out pretty long. Was everything okay?” Ryuji asked, his face suddenly scrunching up in concern. “Oh god, did you scare the shit out of some guy again, Akira?”   
“What? No, it was nothing like that,” Akira quickly dismissed the question, feeling Sumire’s questioning gaze looking up at him. “We just ran into Makoto and Haru and had a pretty long conversation with them, so we kind of lost track of time.”

“What did you talk about?” Ann asked, and Akira stopped in his tracks as he remembered that he let slip that they were dating. However, he realized that they were going to have to tell the others sooner or later, and seeing Ann and Ryuji become suspicious of his silence he knew that he needed to tell the truth.

“Well, we caught up with each other and what we’ve been up to,” Akira began with the blonde couple nodding, waiting for him to finish as he continued on. “Makoto is doing really well in her second year of uni, which really isn’t that big of a surprise, but Haru gave us amazing news! Apparently she’s going to be able to open her cafe by the time she’s out of university!”

“Wait, are you for real?” Ryuji asked, both he and Ann’s mouths hanging wide open.

“That is amazing! She really is awesome!” Ann exclaimed, clapping her hands together as she smiled joyfully at Akira and Sumire, the latter of which was still staring at Akira, wondering if he was going to tell them.

“Oh, there was something else and I figured it best to tell you guys,” Akira said, cutting Ann’s and Ryuji’s excitement short as they scrunched their faces in confusion at him. Akira sighed while Sumire grinned at him; she knew what was coming. “They may have forced it out of me that you two were dating,” Akira finally let out, bowing his head in defeat. However, to his surprise, both Ann and Ryuji burst out laughing with Sumire quickly following their lead.

“Why are you so down about that, Akira? We were going to tell them anyways,” Ann managed to get out as their laughter died down, and Akira let out another sigh, this time in a mixture of relief and embarrassment.

“Wait a sec, did you tell them about-” Ryuji began suddenly, the others going silent as Akira held up his hand.

“I didn’t tell them about the Shadow Ops’ investigation, nor your fight with those Aberrations,” Akira assured the two, and he saw both of their bodies tense and ease up within only a few seconds. “I will, however, tell everyone on Sunday because that would be the most convenient time.” The other three all nodded their heads, serious looks on all their faces. However, before the mood could get too serious, Akira quickly grabbed the remote and switched the television back to their game from earlier. “Alright, that’s enough of serious stuff. I think we have a world to finish!”

“Yeah!” The other three exclaimed as Akira sent them into the second level which was similar to the first level in that the landscape was again a lush grassland with large hills and tall trees in the background. In fact, the rest of World One was similar in that regard, with only the layout and some other minor changes between levels setting them apart. As the four moved through World One, Sumire was getting more used to the controls and, by the Boss Fight, she was comfortable enough with them to no longer have to look at her controller anymore. 

As the screen changed from the loading screen to the Boss Level, the camera zoomed out dramatically from the four characters to reveal a giant tree with a face on the other side of the screen. 

“Wait, what?” Sumire tilted her head to the side, hitting Akira’s shoulder accidentally and her hair obstructed Akira’s view briefly as she stared confusedly at the screen. “Why does it look so… weird?”   
As she finished speaking, the tree shook violently, it’s slanted eyes and crooked mouth vibrating as the screen panned back out and a giant health bar appeared at the bottom of the screen. Above the red bar was its name in bold letters: Tiddly Trunk. The four former Thieves all had blank looks on their faces as the name flashed twice, with Ryuji looking slightly confused. However, before he could ask what “tiddly” meant, the fight began with two roots breaking out of the ground and approached the four characters in a wave-like formation. 

They all easily dodged the attack and, with Sumire having the fire ability, approached the tree and began attacking it. Each attack took out a decent portion of Tiddly’s health and, as Kiribi turned into a ball of fire and rammed into the tree, knocking it down to half hp.

“Huh?” Everyone’s faces scrunched up as Tiddly Trunk became invincible as the entire screen shook once again, and four roots began attacking the four instead of two along with some spikey balls falling from the tree’s piney branches. 

“Not again!” Sumire exclaimed as a spikey ball hit Kiribi, losing her fire power and dealing around a fifth of her health. The additional roots managed to hit the other three as well as they attempted to jump over them and dodge the falling balls, bringing them all to around half their health bar. 

“Sumire, try sucking up one of those balls and shoot it at the tree!” Ryuji suggested just as another spiked ball hit Wobbly Doo. Sumire nodded, controlling Kiribi to jump over another root before sucking up a spiked ball on the ground and the blue puffball spit it back out. The spikey ball stuck in the center of Tiddly Trunk and his health bar was cut in half, now at around 25%. 

“Nice work, Sumire! That even slowed down it’s attacks!” Akira looked over at Sumire and gave her a large smile, and Sumire blushed slightly from the sudden praise while she returned the smile. “Alright, time to finish this!” 

Samu rushed towards the stunned tree, dodging the slowed attacks and Akira used the tornado attack once again, and an explosion came from the tree as its hp bar was emptied. The entire screen shook once again as the explosion covered the screen and it went completely white, and the ending jingle played. 

“Hell yeah!” Ryuji pumped his fist into the air, throwing the blanket off of him and Ann slightly. Ann sighed as she pulled the blanket back over herself, but couldn’t help but smile at Ryuji’s excitement. “World One complete!”

“Alright, we should probably be quiet,” Akira said as the television returned to the level select screen and pulled out his phone; it was already 10 pm.

“Oh crap, it’s already this late?” Ryuji said, making sure his voice was quieter than before but was still fairly loud from shock. “We should probably get going, Ann.”

Ann nodded slowly, her eyes lowering towards the ground with a saddened look in them. The blonde couple got up from the couch and walked towards the door. “I’ll be back in a little bit, Akira. Sumire is staying the night, right?”   
“Yeah, but we’ll probably be asleep by the time you get back,” Akira notified him as Sumire let out a small yawn. Ryuji grinned and gave Akira a thumbs up before turning towards the door.

“Alright, I’ll see you guys tomorrow then,” Ryuji said, opening the door.

“Seeya Akira and Sumire!” Ann waved towards the two, and the couple waved back as Ryuji let the door close behind him. Now alone, Akira attempted to get up from the couch to get prepared for bed, but Sumire wrapped her arms around his body and tried to keep him sitting.

“Sumire? If you’re tired we can go into my room,” Akira said, looking down at Sumire who had her head buried in his shoulder.

“But I’m comfy right here,” Sumire whined as she pressed into Akira even more, and even though Akira could easily pick her up and move her into his room, the couch was fairly comfortable and Sumire was nearly asleep already. Letting out a quick chuckle, Akira patted Sumire on the head, causing her to scrunch up her face cutely as she looked up at him.

“Alright, you win. Let me go turn off the lig-” Akira began to shift to try and get up once again, but Sumire continued to keep him still and pouted up at him.

“We’re going into your palace, right? So let’s just sleep right now…” Sumire whispered sleepily, and Akira grinned as he finally let up and allowed himself to lay down. Sumire laid down on his chest and pulled the blanket over them, resting her head right next to Akira’s. Focusing inward, Akira opened up his palace and, grabbing hold of Sumire’s hand, began to fall asleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo everyone! I'm back with this new chapter, and it's a long one! Hopefully this chapter was worth the wait, and the next two will be where the pace really picks up so be prepared for that! If you did like this chapter, then please leave a comment telling me what you liked as it is always appreciated!


	9. The Second Trip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... hi everyone. It's been awhile(severe understatement there) and I realized recently that I neglected to post why I stopped posting on ao3. Long story short, I burnt out and needed time away from this story, but I'm feeling much better! However, I now have another story, "Reforming the Shattered", so my time is more than likely going to be split between the two. I will try to update both regularly, but I make no promises because my mood largely decides what I want to write.  
> I hope you enjoy this chapter, and it's good to be back!
> 
> Oh, also this fic's name changed to "Your Purpose". I feel it fits Akira's character throughout this story, and I will be trying to show even more of him trying to find his place as it goes on.

“We seriously missed the last train?” Ryuji groaned as he opened the apartment complex’s door.

“It was only because you wanted to get something to eat before I went home!” Ann’s face was scrunched up in irritation as she walked through the door. However, as she passed Ryuji, her lips curled up into a grin and had a slight spring in her step. Another groan behind her wiped the grin off her face as Ryuji stumbled past her towards the stairwell.

“Is it so bad that I wanted to spend more time with you?” 

“...What?” Ann froze as they approached the stairs, Ryuji already having climbed up the first couple of stairs. She couldn’ prevent the blush creeping onto her face as Ryuji turned around.

“What?” The two’s eyes made contact as Ryuji tilted his head to the side. “Did I say something weird?” Ann blinked slowly at Ryuji as he began walking down the stairs towards her before shaking her head and bounced towards her boyfriend.

“No, you didn’t.” Ann wrapped her arms around Ryuji’s neck as he stepped down onto the last step.

“Huh?” Ryuji’s body tensed as the force of Ann running into him nearly made him topple over, but Ann squeezed his neck tighter as she kissed him on the neck. The tension seeped out from Ryuji’s neck and shoulders as Ann let go, a bright smile shining up at her boyfriend. Ann couldn’t help but let out a light giggle; Ryuji was clearly stunned as his eyes were wide open, his jaw hanging open. 

“You’re a really sweet guy sometimes, Ryuji,” Ann whispered, tapping his chest with her index finger as she walked past him. Ryuji had to blink a few times to fully process what just happened. He could’ve sworn that Ann was mad at him, but now he was just confused. Her words rang around in his mind when he perked up and flipped over his shoulder.

“Wait, what do you mean by ‘sometimes’?!” Ann’s giggling grew distant as she ran up the stairs, but Ryuji broke into a sprint to chase after her with a grin tugging at his lips.

“Gotcha!” Ryuji exclaimed as he wrapped his arms around Ann’s waist, sweeping her off her feet as she let out a gleeful squeal.

“R-Ryuji! Put me down!” Ann’s laughter echoed down the fifth floor hallway as Ryuji swung her around, his own laughter mixing with hers. 

“Hey! Pipe down out there!” A man’s voice shouted out. Ryuji and Ann froze and slowly turned towards one another, sheepish grins forming on both their faces. Letting out a soft chuckle, the couple turned towards the apartment, Ann reaching over and wrapping her hand around Ryuji’s. He looked down at Ann and grinned; she had a shy smile from being yelled at, but in her eyes she had a mischievous look. Ryuji wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled Ann into himself, Ann allowing him to do so with ease as they turned the corner to Ryuji’s apartment.

As they approached the apartment, Ann noticed that light was spilling out from beneath the door and she frowned and looked at Ryuji. “Did Akira forget to turn off the lights?” she asked. Ryuji only shrugged, reaching into his pocket with his free hand for his keys.

“Eh, only one way to find out,” Ryuji replied as they approached the door and took out his keys. However, as he went to unlock it, the handle easily turned and the door creaked open. Silence fell between the two as unease took root in their stomach, and after taking a glance at each other, they entered into the apartment. 

“Akira, is everything ok– what the?” Ann began to call out as the two blondes entered into the apartment when their eyes landed on Sumire laying on Akira’s chest with a blanket covering both of them. Ryuji and Ann both let out a sigh of relief before walking in front of the sleeping couple. Ryuji squatted down right in front of Akira and stared at his best friend's sleeping face.

“Akira, it’s time to wake up,” Ryuji called in a sing-song manner, but Akira and Sumire didn’t even budge.

“That’s strange,” Ann crossed her arms, frowning at the sleeping couple. “I never expected both of them to be heavy sleepers. We should probably let them sleep, Ryuji.”

“Hold on, it can’t be that comfortable sleeping on here, so we should probably wake them up,” Ryuji countered before turning back to Akira. Reaching out to Akira, Ryuji’s eyes began falling as he tried to shake Akira awake and he quickly pulled his hand back. “The hell?!”

“Ryuji! Are you okay?” Ann was immediately next to Ryuji, staring down at his hand before looking up at his face.

“Y-yeah… I just felt myself falling asleep when I touched Akira.” Ryuji stared at his hand in disbelief before turning towards Ann. “Wait a sec, you remember when we entered into Akira’s palace by touchin’ him last Christmas?”

“Y-yeah, I don’t think I’ll ever forget that day,” Ann replied. “What about it?”

“Well, when I made contact there it sort of reminded me of that…” Ryuji trailed off, making eye contact with Ann; they both seemed to have the same thoughts as they looked back at Akira and Sumire, and noticed that their hands were interlocked.

“Wait, did they go back into his palace? Isn’t that bad, Ryuji?” Ann lurched forward onto her knees, her blue eyes wide with concern . However, before she could reach out to Akira, Ryuji placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks. Ann looked over to see a serious look in Ryuji’s eyes. “What if they’re in trouble, Ryuji? We should go and help them!”

“Thank god...” Ryuji let out a sigh. Ann tilted her head to the side, scrunching her nose in confusion as Ryuji shook his head. “Alright then, let’s go in!” Ann’s face brightened before turning back to Akira and Sumire.

“Right!” 

“Wow Akira, that’s amazing!” Sumire exclaimed, her hands clasped together as she stared up into the blue sky. The dark red Almighty energy that she had come to associate with Akira was scattered within the peaceful skies, spelling out “You are the light of my life!”. Her crimson locks blew behind her wildly as the grass around her began rustling.

“That was nothing,” Akira’s voice boomed as Raoul touched down behind Sumire, the wind dying down around the couple. Sumire flipped around with a huge smile in time to see Akira step towards her with red flames flickering around him.

“Are you sure? I don’t want you to overdo anythi– Akira!” Sumire was suddenly lifted off the ground, Akira’s firm hands under her arms. Her face began heating up, but she couldn’t do anything about it as she wildly looked around.

“Does this look like I’m overdoing it?” Akira’s smug voice bounced around in Sumire’s mind as she looked down at her boyfriend, her face scrunching into a pout.

“No fair Akira.” 

Akira let out a chuckle, still holding Sumire up in the air as his eyes locked onto hers. His grin widened as he brought her down slightly, and Sumire shrieked and closed her eyes as Akira’s bent slightly before he sprung into the air and let go of Sumire.As she spun around midair, Sumire opened her eyes and gasped. She was above the trees, still flying high into the sky and couldn’t help the smile forming on her face. The wind rushing around sent a rush of adrenaline through her body, and her evoker on her wrist began glowing bright white.

“Let’s dance, my dear!” A flash of red shot towards her, and in an instant Raoul was above her. Sumire’s body felt light as a feather as she stared up at the fusion of her beloved and his persona, and all her worries of school, of gymnastics, of life faded away as bright light surrounded her.

“You better keep up, Akira!” As Raoul spiraled higher into the air, a beam of white energy shot in front of him and a low chuckle escaped his lips as Ella darted above him, leaving behind a trail of blessed energy. Dark red energy gathered underneath Raoul as he pulled in his metallic wings. Ella stopped midflight to look down at Raoul only for an instant before shooting higher into the sky, a smile formed on her face. 

Silence filled the air, and then a loud boom as Ella continued climbing higher and higher. Even from where she was, Ella could feel Raoul’s power as he rocketed upwards and found herself looking directly at her lover. “Wow…” was all Ella could utter as Raoul grinned at her, dark red energy pulsing around him as he spiraled up above her. However, Ella rapidly shook her head before flying after Raoul, weaving around the Almighty energy trail with her own energy being left behind. She caught up with Raoul, the dark red energy dispersing from around him as he gave her a genuine smile. Ella reached out for Raoul, and the two’s hands clasped together as they dove towards the ground, spinning through the trees as they danced through Akira’s heart. 

“That was so much fun, Akira!” Sumire was practically bubbling with energy as two flashes of white and dark red energy surrounded the couple as they walked towards the nearest tree. 

“It was all because of you,” Akira said matter-of-factly, giving Sumire a small smile. Sumire looked up at Akira, shaking her head profusely at him.

“Listen to yourself! I appreciate the compliment, but give yourself more credit Akira!” Just as he went to sit down, Akira stopped and looked at Sumire. She seemed braver than usual, pointing her index finger at Akira. He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to look Sumire in the eyes, but her sharp gaze made him look at the ground.

“Well, I was just saying that you’re really amaz–”

“So are you! So stop giving me all the credit, alright?” Sumire interrupted Akira as she poked his chest. Akira was at a loss for words; he wasn’t used to Sumire being this confident, although he could definitely get used to it.

“Alright, alright,” Akira waved Sumire down before placing his hands on her shoulders. “We were both great up there, how about that?”

Sumire’s entire mood seemed to shift as a smile exploded onto her face. “Much better!” Sumire wrapped her arms around Akira’s right arm and met his eyes. “You need to realize that you’re amazing as well, Akira.”

“Hm?” Akira’s face scrunched into a frown as Sumire let go of his arm.

“You’re always helping others and showing them just how great they really are, including myself, but you never seem content with yourself,” Sumire began, instantly getting Akira’s undivided attention. “Ever since the first day I met you, you were always doing something, whether it was to improve yourself or to help those around you. In fact, today was the first day that I saw you do something just for fun.”

“That’s not true, I always had fun on our dat–” Sumire’s finger reached Akira’s lips as he tried to protest, but he allowed her to continue on.

“I know, but even during those you seemed distant, more than likely focusing on Thief work.” Sumire smirked as Akira scratched his cheek, a sheepish look on his face. “I think you just need to be reminded from time to time that you're amazing the way you are and that you don’t have to overthink about everything all the time.” Sumire’s eyes fluttered closed as she leaned against Akira’s solid body. “I love you just the way you are, Akira.” 

Convulsions began spreading through Akira’s chest as he began laughing, Sumire not bothering to look up from where she was resting her head. “You really are something, Sumire,” Akira finished laughing as he wrapped his arm around Sumire, who snuggled into the nook of his arm. “I’m not sure how many times you’ve helped me out now. Maybe I was just being obvious about it, but I’m glad you told me all that.”

Akira looked down at Sumire; her face was peaceful as she rested against him, her hand on his chest. “I’m glad you’re not as stubborn as Ryuji,” Sumire muttered. Akira blinked a few times before both of them broke into giggles, Sumire keeping her eyes closed as they leaned against the tree.

“Yeah, I’m not sure how Ann keeps him in check.” Akira grinned up at the sky; he clearly remembered a day when the four of them were trying to decide on a place to eat, and Akira and Sumire had already decided on somewhere together beforehand. Ann liked the idea, but Ryuji was adamant about going to a ramen shop. It didn’t matter to Akira and Sumire where they went, but Ann put down her foot, and the two argued about it for the next thirty minutes until Akira had to step in and declared that they were going to the ramen shop.

“Are you thinking about the whole ramen shop argument as well?” Sumire’s soft voice broke Akira from his thoughts and he grinned.

“Yeah, how’d you know?”

“Just a guess,” Sumire reached up for Akira and pecked him on the cheek, her cheeks rosy but a calm smile on her face. “Those two are really great for each other thou–”

A strange sound interrupted Sumire as Akira perked up. It sounded like someone retching, or at least pretending to.

“Akechi, if you don’t like PDA, you don’t have to watch us,” Akira let out a sigh, hearing two sets of footprints rustle the grass around the tree. Akira and Sumire realized who was the owner of the other set of footprints as Akechi and Kasumi appeared to the couple’s right, and Sumire leapt into Kasumi’s arms instantly.

“Woah there sister!” Kasumi yelped, but she wore a big smile as she hugged her sister back.

“Kasumi, I’ve missed you so much…” Sumire said into her sister’s chest. Kasumi ran her hand through Sumire’s long hair slowly, readjusting her sister’s glasses as she pulled her away.

“Sumire, you know that I’m always with you, right?” Sumire’s wet orbs widened slightly before she nodded, her smile returning as she stared back at her sister.

“Right!” Sumire nearly shouted her answer, and Akira saw Akechi wince slightly. Glancing one last time at the twins and giving them a huge smile, he turned his attention on his rival and his smile morphed into a grin.

“Alright you old man, you wanna go nap for a while?” Akira chuckled as he strode over to Akechi, the dirty blonde’s face darkening into a scowl.

“Shut the hell up,” was all Akechi said as Akira stopped in front of him, his grin still plastered on his face. 

“Y’know, you could try and drop the ‘I hate everything’ act, Akechi. The only ones that see you are me, Sumire, and Kasumi.”

“This is not an ‘act’, you moron. This is simply who I am.” Akechi closed his eyes as he turned around, hiding the genuine smile tugging at his lips. 

“Akira, you really did that for Sumire?” Kasumi asked excitedly as she bounded towards Akira, the black haired teen turning towards her and Sumire and he barely managed to hold back a grin as his girlfriend’s face was bright red. 

“Did what exactly?” Akira asked, tilting his head at Kasumi. “A lot has happened the last time we saw each other.”

“Well, the water show you gave her was amazing, you teaching her how to play that game was nice of you, and watching that episode of Featherman! We loved watching that as kids, so you watching that with her was really sweet!” Kasumi exclaimed happily. Akira simply nodded with his smile growing. However, Kasumi’s face shifted into a frown as she took a step towards him and pointed her index finger at him. “Also, how dare you make my sister go through that? Do you have any idea how much she’s been through, mister?”   
Akira took a step backwards, shock on his face from the sudden mood shift in Kasumi as Sumire moved to calm Kasumi down. “Kasumi, it’s alright now! Akira already apologized for that, and we’ve moved past i–”

“But I haven’t moved past it! He needs to apologize again to you right now, alright?!” Kasumi stomped her foot on the ground, glaring daggers at Akira as sweat began dripping down his face. He heard a low chuckling come from beside him and looked over to see Akechi have his hand up to his mouth and saw his chest pulse with laughter. Akira’s eyes narrowed at his rival before letting out an exasperated sigh as he looked back at Kasumi, who was still staring directly at him while Sumire was trying in vain to calm Kasumi down still. 

“Sumire,” Akira stated firmly, drawing the attention of the three as he stepped forward towards his girlfriend and he took her hands. He had already apologized before, but…

“What I put you through this year was inexcusable, even if I said that it was to save others. I said that I would be selfish for you, but instead I left you alone for so long; I know I broke that trust we formed throughout our time together, but I hope that one day I can regain that trust once again.” Tears began forming in Akira’s and Sumire’s eyes as Akira fell to his knees, letting go of one of Sumire’s hands. He looked upwards at Sumire and saw the moon holding YHWH; it was still as strong as the day he finished the figh, and he smiled as he returned his teary gaze back onto Sumire. 

“Akira…” Sumire whispered, her voice cracking as she gripped her hand over her chest. She reached down for Akira, getting onto her knees and stared directly into his eyes. “You did what you thought you had to do to protect everyone, not just me. Your selflessness is part of the reason I fell in love with you.” Sumire gave Akira a small smile, the tears in her eyes beginning to dry up. “I forgive you for that, because you’re here now with us. Just please… please never leave me again, Akira!” Sumire stared directly into Akira’s eyes, her tears beginning to form once again and threatening to fall from her face.

“Sumire…” Akira whispered before gritting his teeth and brought Sumire’s hands up between their faces. “I promise.” 

Sumire’s face lit up as Akira smiled at her, and the two stared at each other briefly before Sumire threw herself into Akira’s arms. Kasumi grinned down at the couple while Akechi began to walk away from them, throwing his hands into his pockets and wearing a frown on his face. However, the frown on his face deepened as he turned towards Akira and Sumire, still within each other’s arms.

“Akira, you have company,” Akechi said bluntly, causing Akira to turn towards his rival with Sumire still holding onto him. 

“What are you- Ryuji?! Ann?!” Akira’s eyes widened as he recognized the two blondes running towards them. “What are you two doing in he–”

“Are you two okay?” Ann cut off Akira before seeing the other two standing near Akira and Sumire. “Wait a minute… Akechi?! Aren’t you supposed to be…”

“Dead? Yes,” Akechi said with a neutral expression on his face. “Well, I guess this is my time to leave.” As he finished, Akechi’s body began to shimmer and, while walking away from the group, he disappeared seemingly with the wind.

“What the hell?!” Ryuji exclaimed, his voice cracking in surprise. Akira chuckled from his friends’ confusion as he got to his feet, helping Sumire up as well.

“I guess I have some explaining to do,” Akira let out a faux sigh as Sumire smiled up at him, with Ryuji and Ann staring intently at him. He began by explaining that, after sealing away the god and therefore not removing his treasure, his palace remained, but due to the god not having any control over him his palace took the shape of his heart. 

“Alright, but why are you guys dressed like that?” Ryuji asked, pointing towards Akira and Sumire who were dressed in their bride and groom outfits from the first time they entered. 

“Palace rulers have insane control over their palaces; remember Futaba creating those ballistas against that Cognitive Wakaba? Even Maruki limited our powers within his palace.” Two nods and a confused look were the answers Akira expected as he snapped his fingers. Two flashes of blue flames surrounded Ryuji and Ann for a second before dispersing, revealing them in their Phantom Thief outfits.

“Wait, but aren’t our clothes supposed to transform when the ruler sees us as a threat?” Ryuji questioned as he and Ann looked down at themselves.

“Amazing observational skills, Ryuji!” Akira teased his friend.

“Dude…”

“Well, I have complete control over what happens in here, and that includes you guys as well,” Akira continued on, Sumire and Ann trying and failing to suppress their giggles as Ryuji stared daggers at Akira. “Of course I’ll only have the effects of my subconscious activated for now so you guys can be comfortable.”

As Akira finished he snapped again and blue flames flashed around Ryuji and Ann again, revealing them in their normal clothes as they flickered out.

“Wow, you can really do all that?” Ann asked, finally getting herself under control.

“It’s only because that’s still in here that I can do all this,” Akira continued on, bringing his arm back down to his side. A smile formed on his face as he looked downward; that wasn’t entirely true. ‘It’s not as prominent as that, but I can still feel my own strength deep within myself,’ Akira thought to himself, closing his eyes. His chest began to feel warm, the warmth starting from the center and spreading outwards. 

“Akira? What’s that?” Ryuji asked, snapping Akira out of his thoughts as he opened his eyes. The other four were staring in disbelief at him, and it took Akira a moment to fully realize that the Universe Arcana was floating directly in front of him. As he acknowledged it, the Arcana card shattered into blue specks and was carried off by the wind.

“Huh?” Ann’s, Ryuji’s, and even Sumire’s jaws were wide open with their eyes trained on Akira.

“It was the Universe Arcana,” Akira chuckled as he moved his hand up to Sumire’s face and gently pushed her mouth closed. “It represents… well, myself I guess.”

“Dude… that still doesn’t make any sense,” Ryuji sighed, rubbing the back of his head. Ann nodded her head in agreement before her eyes landed on Kasumi, who was grinning at Sumire as a light blush dusted her cheeks.

“By the way… who are you?” Ann asked, but before Kasumi could respond Ann’s eyes widened. “Wait, are you…”

“Yes, I am Kasumi Yoshizawa,” Kasumi answered matter of factly, and Ann’s and Ryuji’s jaws dropped even further.

“Oh right, this is going to sound weird but… Akechi and Kasumi are basically living on as parts of me and Sumire,” Akira winced, instantly regretting explaining that much as Ryuji’s head seemed ready to burst. “You know what, don’t try to think about it. Just know that these two are the real deals.”

“Dammit, this shit is makin’ my brain hurt!” Ryuji burst out, grabbing his head with both hands before letting his head hang low. “It’s just like when you tried to explain… what was it? You and your persona talking with each other?”

“Wait, what?” Ann nearly shouted, moving closer to Akira. Sumire instinctively went to Akira’s side, practically forcing his arms around her.

“Yeah,” Akira nodded, raising an eyebrow as he looked down at Sumire. The gesture was enough for her to realize what she was doing as she released Akira and moved to his side, taking hold of his hand. Akira grinned over at Sumire before looking back at the blonde couple. “I’m sure you heard your personas speak to you before, but that was probably only when you awakened. After fusing with Raoul, I gained the ability to speak with him as he is me, for all intents and purposes.”

“This… makes no sense,” Ann closed her eyes and shook her head.

“Right?!” Ryuji exclaimed before turning back to Akira. “Wait a sec, now that you mention it, I did hear somethin’ in my head during our fight with those monsters.” 

“Yeah, me too!” Ann turned towards Ryuji before flipping back towards Akira as he approached both of them.

“Wait, really?!” Akira asked excitedly, receiving two shocked and apprehensive nods from the blondes. His body began to shake with excitement as he stopped in front of the couple, and Sumire tilted her head at her boyfriend. 

“Uh… yeah,” Ryuji motioned for Akira to back up as the black haired teen was inches away from his face, and Akira regained his composure as he took a few steps back.

“Oh, sorry…” Akira chuckled nervously while rubbing the back of his neck.

“Akira? What was that about?” Sumire asked, moving to Akira’s side again, her face scrunched in confusion.    
Akira looked down at the grass blowing at his feet, closing his eyes as he brought his hand to his chin. The other four tilted their heads at him as he went silent, his black tuxedo flowing in the breeze.

It felt like a few minutes had passed as Akira was lost in thought, but in reality only about fifteen seconds had gone by. Ann nudged Ryuji with her elbow, getting his attention as he looked down. “We should get going. They’re clearly fi–”

“Wait! I want to see if you guys can fuse like me and Sumire!” Akira burst from his thoughts, a wild look in his eyes as a grin spread across his face.

“Wait… what?” Ann and Ryuji shouted. Their bodies were twisted as they had already begun walking away, but Akira’s outburst stopped them in their tracks.

“When Akira-Senpai gets like this, there’s no stopping him…” Sumire shook her head as she walked over towards Kasumi. To her surprise, Kasumi burst into a fit of giggles, and it only took a few moments until Sumire joined her sister.

“W-well, I guess we can try…” Ann rubbed her head nervously, but Ryuji’s eyes suddenly lit up.

“Akira, why don’t you fuse right now to show us how it’s done?!” Ryuji’s body was bouncing slightly as he stared eagerly at Akira, and Ann couldn’t help but smile at him.

“Alright! Raoul!” Akira’s face was suddenly engulfed by dark red flames along with his body, and the four teens could barely keep their footing from the intense pressure coming from Akira. “First things first: act like you’re about to summon your persona and reach deep within yourself!”

With a final burst of air pressure, Raoul shot upwards, blowing the grass wildly around as well as making the four teens slide backwards, before floating gently back to the ground. Wind gathered around him as he hovered above the grass, almost forming a tornado around him, and Ryuji and Ann stared up in awe at him.

“This is insane… so this is Akira’s power!” Ann said, blinking slowly at Raoul.

“So wait, we just gotta start like we’re summoning our personas?” Ryuji asked, receiving a nod from both Raoul and Sumire. Raoul’s eyes flashed blue as Ryuji’s and Ann’s thief outfit formed on them, letting out a deep chuckle as it happened. “Wait, didn’t you break your mask or somethin’ during your fight with that god? Is that what we need to do?”   
“No, that was simply for dramatic effect!” Raoul continued to chuckle as Ann’s and Ryuji’s faces went blank, and Sumire tried and failed to hold back her own laughter as the two looked unimpressed with Raoul. “Now, as you reach deep within yourself to pull out your persona, reach even deeper!” Raoul’s eyes were serious as he stared at Ryuji and Ann, his seriousness spreading to them as they straightened up and began concentrating. 

“Damn… I can’t… feel it!” Ryuji cursed as sweat began forming on his brow. He was doing exactly as Raoul was saying and was digging deep, but nothing felt like it was happening.

“Ryuji! You and your persona are the same being! Right now it looks like you’re trying to power up; look at your inner self and reflect, don’t just let your emotions run wild!” Ryuji flinched as Raoul lectured him; he never imagined Akira to be this strict of a teacher, but it wasn’t something he hated. 

“Ann! You just summoned your persona! You’re thinking of it as a mask of yourself, a separate entity altogether! Like I told Ryuji, you and your persona are one and the same!” Ann’s blood chilled slightly at Raoul’s harsh teaching, but something about his tone made her want to try even harder.

“Akira, aren’t you being too rough on them?” Sumire called up. Raoul looked downwards and nearly froze; Sumire’s face was mixed with worry and a slight amount of annoyance, and Raoul descended back onto the ground with flames surrounding him.

“I just got excited when I heard they might have been able to fuse as well, but I think you’re right…” Akira sighed as the last lick of flames disappeared, bowing his head in defeat before turning towards the two blondes. “Hey you two, I think that’s enough for right now.”

“Dammit… I didn’t think it would be that tough,” Ryuji cursed, sweat pouring down his face as he attempted to catch his breath with Ann doing the same right next to him.

“You… You make it look easy, Akira,” Ann panted, barely able to pull her head upwards to look at the smiling faces of the couple before her.

“Both of you said that you heard your persona’s voices earlier, yeah?” Akira asked as the two blondes fully caught their breath, straightening back up to face Akira and Sumire.

“Yeah,” they both responded simultaneously, and watched in slight confusion as Akira closed his eyes and placed his chin within his hand.

“There’s no real way to test that out without… No, we’ll just have to drop it here, unfortunately,” Akira muttered to himself.

“Hey, what’re you talkin’ about?” Akira looked back up to see Ryuji walking towards him, his head slightly cocked to one side as Ann followed close behind him.

“It’s nothing. Sorry for tiring you two out like that, I got a little ahead of myself there.”   
“You’re okay, Akira,” Ann said, both her and Ryuji nodding their heads at Akira as he felt Sumire looking up at him. However, before Akira could respond, a look of excitement flashed onto his face.

“Wait, can’t you and Sumire fuse? Can’t both of you guys show us again?” 

Akira’s eyes widened, but was quickly overtaken by the grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. 

“Sumi? How do you feel about it?” Akira looked down and already knew her answer just from the light within her eyes.

“Of course!” Sumire exclaimed, taking Akira’s hand and leading him backwards away from the blondes who were both held at rapt attention. The couple closed their eyes simultaneously, feeling both of their persona’s flowing within their bodies and minds as they drew in a deep breath. A slight wind began picking up around the two, and soon they were lifted gently into the air, their faces completely calm as their evokers began to glow brightly. Then, letting out their held breaths, dark red flames and a bright light covered them both, blocking Ryuji and Ann’s view of the other couple as they continued watching in awe.

“Let us dance once more, Ella,” Raoul’s voice boomed, a massive amount of wind blowing the flames and light away to reveal the two personas floating where Akira and Sumire once were.

“Of course, my dear Raoul,” Ella responded in kind, her voice more delicate but still commanding Ryuji’s and Ann’s complete attention.

“Wow…” Neither of the blondes could hold back their audible amazement as the persona duo rose high into the sky, their hands interlocked as they stared only at each other. The few clouds in the perfect blue sky began to deform slightly as another burst of air pressure came from the two personas and Ryuji and Ann’s eyes widened even more as they saw both Raoul and Ella burst off into the sky overhead. A trail of dark red flames and white light was left behind the two, filling the sky with a fantastical display.

“They… They can really do all this?” Ann whispered, not even believing her eyes as she couldn’t draw her attention away from the two graceful personas. Ella seemed to lead Raoul through their dance-like glide, though Raoul took the front more than a few times, twirling Ella around himself before letting her back to his side.

“This… This is nuts,” Ryuji commented, and all Ann could do was nod in response. Then, in a moment, the two personas flew back to where they first began over the blondes’ heads and began descending back to the ground, the grass underneath them blowing wildly as they neared the earth. As their feet touched down, the dark red flames and white light covered the two again, this time revealing the blondes’ friends as the two mystical elements disappeared.

“Holy shit, that was sweet,” Ryuji said, too awestruck to even show his overwhelming excitement.

“And… And you think Ryuji and I can do something like that, Akira?” Ann asked as Akira and Sumire walked towards her and Ryuji.

“Yeah, I really do. I think you two were close, you just need an extra push is all,” Akira responded, giving his two closest friends a warm smile as he noticed the doubt breaking onto their faces. “Trust me, it took me fighting a god and Sumire fighting a strong shadow to fuse. And who knows, maybe you two didn’t against those Aberrations because it was in reality.”

“Wait, really?” Again, both blondes spoke at the same time, and Akira nodded with his smile still present on his face.

“It’s just a guess, but healing spells don’t work the same way as they do in the Metaverse. I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of those rules get blurred when we use these powers out there.”

“Akira, don’t you think we should leave pretty soon?” Sumire’s soft voice broke through to Akira before he could continue rambling, and he could see the poorly hidden thankful looks on Ryuji and Ann’s faces as a grin crossed over his smile.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Akira nodded before turning towards Kasumi. “Sorry that today was kind of hectic, Kasumi. I promise we’ll come back in and just relax next time.”

“It’s alright,” Kasumi said, waving off Akira’s apology with a cheerful smile. “I was just happy to be able to see my sister again!”

Akira smiled as Kasumi wrapped her arm around Sumire’s shoulders and pressed her cheek against Sumire’s. “I’ll miss you, Kasumi…” Sumire muttered as her face began to fall.

“Hey, no being depressed around Akira!” Kasumi playfully scolded her sister as she shook her slightly. “Besides, I’m always with you Sumire, so you never have to feel like you’re alone.”

. “They really are sisters,” Ann said with a smile as Kasumi roughly played with Sumire’s hair.

“Yeah,” was all Ryuji said as he reached over for Ann’s hand. As he gripped it, he turned towards Akira, who was standing just shy of the twins. “Akira, how do we even get out of this place?”

“Oh, I just need to close it down and everyone will be kicked out. Kind of think of it like a server, alright?” Akira said as he turned towards Ryuji and Ann, both their eyes still blank with confusion. “Just… alright, let’s go over to that tree and lie down.” Akira pointed over towards a sturdy looking tree before walking over to it with Sumire joining him at his side as Kasumi began to fade away.

“Whoa, she disappeared just like that,” Ryuji said, his mouth wide open.

“This place is insane…” Ann shook her head as tiny particles of light flew away with the light breeze.

“Hey you two, we need to get up pretty soon!” Akira called out to the couple, and they both turned to see Akira and Sumire already cuddled underneath the tree. Sumire gripped Akira’s hand loosely and both their eyes were beginning to feel heavy as the two blondes approached apprehensively. However, their apprehension melted away as they saw how peaceful Akira and Sumire were as Sumire laid her head against Akira’s head and Akira lightly drew his hand through her long, red locks.

“I can close my palace at any time, but to make it as seamless as possible it's easier if we lay down and close our eyes,” Akira instructed sleepily, letting out a yawn simultaneously with Sumire. 

“Man, now I’m feelin’ kinda sleepy…” Ryuji also let out a yawn, quickly being followed by Ann.

“Okay Ryuji, let’s go lay down next to them…” Ann yawned again as she pulled Ryuji to the right side of Akira and Sumire and leaned against the sturdy but somehow comfortable tree. Her head lolled towards Ryuji as they both sat down on the soft grass and landed on his shoulder, both of their eyes nearly shutting immediately.

“Tonight was fun, you guys…” Akira muttered just as all four of the teens’ eyes closed, a peaceful rest coming to them instantly as darkness overtook their vision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I would like to apologize for leaving this for so long and so abruptly(at least for those that aren't on the subreddit or KaSumi discord). This chapter has been in the works for a while, and I'm really proud of where it ended up. Yusuke is coming up next chapter along with the Thief hangout(should be, again no promises on any of this), and expect more plot coming up in the chapters to come!


	10. Beauty of Peace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A friend of mine has recommended that I summarize what has happened so far in story, so here we go:  
> Akira and Ryuji are rooming together, and they are both part of the Track team at the University of Tokyo.  
> Fluff city, Ann and Ryuji become a thing after a new type of Shadow shows up in reality and they fight it back. P3 cast gets involved  
> Meet coming up for the Track team, catching up with the Thieves as Golden Week begins.  
> Now we are here, were Sumire and Akira are hanging out with Yusuke for the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I RETURN!!!

With the fresh breeze hitting his face, a soft blanket underneath him, Akira let out a relaxed sigh. The view of the lake from the slight hill he was resting on was calming, relieving his mind of the stress of the impending Meet on Sunday. It was him and nature for today, being joined with his half closed eyes and warm smile as he watched the families and couples walk past him.

“Mm…” A sudden shift to his right pulled his attention down to Sumire next to him, her head resting on his shoulder with her hand interlocked with his own. Warmth spread within Akira’s chest, but he welcomed the feeling. The weight of her head, the softness of her hand; it kept him grounded, it kept reminding him of where he was in life. ‘It’s all thanks to her. If I didn’t have her, I wouldn’t be here today,’ Akira thought as he moved his hand from her shoulder to brush a strand of Sumire’s crimson locks from her face. ‘She’s absolutely incredible…’

“Akira! Please do not move!”

Akira’s hand froze mid air. He could practically feel the intense gaze coming from his favorite artist, standing down on the pathway next to the lake. A canvas was in front of his close friend along with an assortment of drawing and paint supplies right next to him. “Sorry Yusuke!” Akira called back, returning his hand to its origin on Sumire’s shoulder.

“It is quite alright, for just witnessing you two in blissful silence, basking in each other’s presence, is more than enough for me!” Akira barely saw Yusuke out of the corner of his eyes as his friend went back to his canvas. He couldn’t prevent his soft smile from turning into one of amusement as the bluenette instantly went back into his ramblings. ‘Never change, Yusuke.’

Despite his amusement with his friend, Akira respected Yusuke’s absolute love for his craft above all else. Art did not interest Akira particularly, but watching Yusuke work was awe inspiring, practically forcing Akira’s attention onto the bluenette. Every stroke was deliberate, even the movement of Yusuke’s body while painting seemed intentional. ‘Well, maybe not all of them…’ Akira thought as he focused on Yusuke’s face, which was contorted into a strange smile.

“Yes… perfect!” Yusuke shouted. Akira had thought he had gotten used to his friend’s… strange behavior, but he still found that a small chuckle was building up within his chest. “This will be my masterpiece… The piece of art that will show everyone the light of humanity itself! The calmness, the passion, the pure love felt in an embrace shared by two! I shall capture all of the emotions you two are graciously presenting to me!”

Barely able to cover his own amusement with a peaceful smile, Akira felt small movements coming from beside him. Sumire’s lips were pursed, her chest convulsing as she fought with all she had to keep her laughter from bursting out. She didn’t quite understand it, but something about Yusuke was both enchantingly amazing and incredibly amusing.

“Aki...ra…” Sumire managed to get out along with taking a shallow breath, shifting her head towards Akira’s chest in a poor attempt to hide herself. Tears pricked at her eyes as she nearly felt herself break, her chest slightly aching from the laughter she was holding back.

“Sumire, that position is perfect!” Yusuke exclaimed.“Yes… please hold that until we are done!”

“Just a little longer, Sumire,” Akira whispered, a hint of amusement in his voice as Sumire felt a slight squeeze around her hand. 

“He’s just… so serious… I don’t… know why… it’s so funny,” Sumire muttered back. She felt like she was about to run out of air trying to hold back her laughter, her cheeks puffing slightly as a giggle nearly did escape from her lips.

“That’s Yusuke for you.” Sumire couldn’t risk looking up, but she knew just from the tone of Akira’s voice that a sweet smile was on his face. The image only allowed Sumire a reprieve from the onslaught of laughter within her chest, but only just barely. “Maybe after this we can tell you about how he tried to have me strip in a church.”

“What?!” Sumire’s hand flew to her mouth as soon as the word escaped, and Yusuke’s head shot from his parchment towards the couple.

“Is everything alright up there?” Yusuke asked.

“Everything’s okay, Yusuke!” Akira shouted back down from the small mound they were sitting atop and received a serious nod from Yusuke. “Sorry, shouldn’t have brought that up right now. Put your hand down Sumire, I think we should be almost done.” 

Akira wasn’t sure how long it had been or how long a painting should actually take, and it seemed like Yusuke was using a pencil for most of the actual painting session so far. So, in reality, he was just guessing.

“This is perfection… I must take as much time as possible to perfect this work of art that has miraculously landed on my canvas!” Yusuke continued muttering loud enough for Akira and Sumire to hear, and they both felt their stomachs fall slightly; just how long was Yusuke planning on keeping them here?

‘I guess it’s fine. I have nothing to do today, and I get to spend the day with Akira like this,’ Sumire thought, her eyes fluttering as she gripped Akira’s hand tighter and nuzzled closer into his chest. She found that, while Yusuke was unintentionally hilarious, the warmth coming from Akira’s body, his soft yet firm hand keeping her head close to his fast beating heart put her at ease. ‘I could stay like this forever…’

“Alright, I believe that will be it for the day!”

“Huh?” Sumire and Akira looked towards Yusuke as he began packing up his canvas and supplies into his black artist bag next to him, a look of pure satisfaction and excitement on his face.

“Are you… sure, Yusuke?” Akira called out hesitantly, moving to get up but Yusuke furiously waved him down as he slung his bag over his shoulder. Akira blinked at the bluenette as the lanky young man hurried up the small mound towards the couple, stopping just in front of the blanket.

“Yes, why would I not be sure? I have gotten a perfect sketch of you two, so it only requires me to now add color and the finishing touches!” 

“But wouldn’t it be better just to continue with us here?” Sumire asked, tilting her head as Yusuke turned his attention towards her.

“I shall be okay, for I have ingrained this moment into my mind. However,” Yusuke paused as he reached into his right pocket, pulling out his phone and held it in front of him. “If I may, could I get a picture of you two like this? I may have a sketch and my memory of this moment may be pristine, but I have been informed that a picture aids painting portraits when the subjects are not in front of me, so I shall put that to the test with this masterpiece.”

“Sounds good, Yusuke.” Akira nodded, and he and Sumire got back into position without another word to each other. Sumire could feel the warmth coming from Akira as she pressed her head into his chest, his hand once again getting her closer to his heart so she could feel every beat coming from his center of being. Even after she heard the click of the camera, Sumire didn’t want to let go; she really did want to stay like that forever.

“Seeing you two like this is truly a magnificent thing, I must say,” Yusuke stated, slipping his phone back into his pocket with a satisfied smile on his face. “I shall depart and leave you two in peace, so this will be goodbye until the party later this week.” Yusuke picked up his canvas bag next to him and, in one motion, turned and began striding away from the peaceful couple, but Akira’s eyes flew back open.

“Wait, Yusuke!” Akira tried to move as little as possible as he waved for Yusuke to come back as Sumire had wrapped both arms around Akira’s right arm. Yusuke stopped and slowly faced the resting couple

“Yes, Akira?”  
“We haven’t had lunch yet, so why don’t we go grab something to eat? My treat,” Akira finished with a grin. Yusuke’s eyes lit up instantly with a low rumble coming from his stomach.

“Truly? You are far too kind, Akira, and it would be rude of me to reject such boundless kindness.” Yusuke bowed at the waist towards Akira before straightening himself again; if it was anyone else, Akira would have waved off the gesture, but he knew that there was no point in talking Yusuke out of the show of respect after three years of friendship. He had finally gotten Sumire to stop calling him Senpai, at least for the most part, so perhaps there was a chance he could get Yusuke to stop bowing like that, but there were battles Akira knew would be too hard to even attempt to win.

“Alright Sumire, let’s go,” Akira whispered, stroking Sumire’s head softly, but she didn’t budge. Instead, she only nuzzled her head further towards his heart, and Akira immediately relented as he ran his hand through her soft hair yet again. Despite it being the middle of the day, Akira felt his eyes beginning to close, Sumire’s warm breath hitting his chest as his heart continued beating quickly. ‘I really did need that scolding from her yesterday. I’ve been in constant motion since… well, since the incident with Shido, but now… Now I feel like I could do nothing all day with the love of my life.’

“Akira, shall I meet you two later?” Yusuke asked, drawing Akira’s attention upwards towards the bluenette whose smile matched his former leader’s.

“We won’t be far behind you, but if you want to get a table at the usual cafe in Shibuya, go ahead,” Akira said, moving his head back towards Sumire. She had a tiny smile on her face with her eyes shut firmly, and Akira moved towards her and pressed his lips onto her forehead.

“Very well, I shall see you two in a little while,” Yusuke called out. Akira’s sole attention was on Sumire, but he could see Yusuke walk out of the corner of his eyes with all his equipment. The park was surprisingly empty, especially for the first day off for many students just yesterday, though there were some couples that shot curious glances at Yusuke while he was painting.

Akira leaned back, propping himself up with both of his hands behind him as he looked out at the crystal clear waters of the pond, bringing Sumire’s head with him as her hands lightly clutched onto his white unbuttoned dress shirt. Akira shook his head as he smiled down at her, the peaceful aura around her filling into Akira as his eyes nearly fell for the second time. ‘She really is incredible. She’s been through so much pain and trauma, and yet she’s not only standing strong, but thriving. She’s dominating in Gymnastics, doing well in school, and also keeping me in line. What else could I ask from her?’

It felt genuinely refreshing simply to think about normal life; no stress of the Metaverse, or Shadows, or some god trying to take over humanity. The feeling was strange, but it was a welcome one. For the first time in so, so long, he felt truly normal, even as YHWH still rested deep within his heart, within the seal of the god’s own making.

Chuckling lightly to himself, Akira dared to lean down towards Sumire, planting a kiss onto her soft forehead. “Thank you, Sumire. It’s all because of you that I’m here now, able to give it my all in everything I do,” Akira spoke softly to his resting girlfriend, his eyes closed as he felt Raoul chuckle within himself. “I love you from the bottom of my heart, now and forev–”

His eyes were closed, so Akira couldn’t see the fact that his lips were compromised, but he melted instantly into the soft kiss. Akira’s mind emptied completely of any worries trapped deep within, being filled only by the tenderness of the lover’s embrace as Sumire gently wrapped her arms around his neck. Her lips were always sweet, but the taste was more pronounced this time, his mind melting even further as Sumire’s hand brushed up against his cheek.

“You let your guard down, Akira,” Sumire whispered as she broke from the kiss, both teens slowly opening their eyes and silently noting the almost distressed look on Akira’s face as she backed away. Sumire gently stroked her thumb across Akira’s smooth cheek and barely held back a giggle as she felt the surface heat up slightly, the skin underneath her hand turning pink as the two held eye contact. “I’m so happy right now, Akira.”

“Took the words right out of my mouth,” Akira responded in a similarly hushed tone as he leaned subconsciously into her hand. He felt her slender thumb brush against his cheek again, his heart beating faster as Sumire blinked slowly at him. Even without the Faith Arcana, Akira knew that the feeling within his chest in the moment, the warmth spreading all throughout his body, would have been the same.

“Hey Akira,” Sumire began, and Akira saw her eyes grow serious while she continued holding his head in her hand. “How do you think Minato and the Shadow Ops are doing?”

“Well, if they haven’t contacted us then it must be going well,” Akira said, the feeling of absolute peace within him unwavering as he held his gaze with his lover. “There’s nothing to worry about, as you all keep showing me. They can handle this.” Akira noticed the shock in Sumire’s eyes as soon as the last word left his mouth.

“Are… Are you sure?” Sumire asked with her voice filled with hesitancy. 

“I don’t see why I shouldn’t be.” Akira brushed his thumb against Sumire’s cheek, holding her head up as he saw her eyes beginning to fall towards the ground, and smiled gently as a light dusting of pink crossed her face.“Well, besides the god inside me, that is… And he probably can’t fuse with his persona… Wait, what is his persona anyways? And how can I be sure that he can’t fuse with it?” 

The slightly tense mood that had fallen over the two had now completely vanished as a soft giggle escaped Sumire’s mouth. “Well, you convinced me, Akira, although maybe we have some other questions to figure out now.” 

Sumire would never forget the sound that escaped Akira’s mouth as a warm laugh reached her ears. Even after the defeat of YHWH and Erebus, even after Akira began to return to some sort of normalcy and life without fighting in life or death battles that would determine the fate of the world, it never felt set in stone that he would escape that life, that he wouldn’t have to deal with the stress, the anxiety that came with it. “Some questions don’t have to be answered, Sumire,” Akira said calmly, certainty and peace filling his voice.

All Sumire could do was nod, but she knew she didn’t need to do anything else. They sat in blissful peace, Akira leaning backwards to allow Sumire to rest entirely on his chest. Sumire was happy, as she had finally gotten what she wanted; to see Akira as a normal human. He came to his own conclusion that he didn’t want to fight anymore, that he would entrust the world’s safety to others.

‘It’s strange, but… I’m actually proud of him,’ Sumire thought, placing her hand right next to her head on Akira’s chest as he continually ran his own through her hair. ‘He’s older than me and has done so many amazing things with his life while I’m still figuring everything out, but… I can’t help this feeling. I’m… I’m so, so proud of him.’

Just then, Sumire felt a slight vibration coming from Akira, and she felt Akira’s move up just as she got back into a sitting position. Her stomach fell as Akira reached down into his pocket, his eyes filled with worry as he pulled out his device. Words weren’t coming to her as her mind raced on what would make Akira get like this, and she felt her stomach twist as he answered his phone.

“Yusuke! I’m sorry man, I completely lost track of time. We’ll be over there as quickly as possible, alright? No, there’s no need to order anything for us, see you in a bit.”

Sumire blinked slowly at her boyfriend as he spoke, her mouth slightly open as he slipped his phone back into his pocket and began to stand up before looking down at her.

“Sumire?”

“You didn’t have to scare me like that…” A smirk flashed onto Sumire’s face as she jumped to her feet, seeing the shock on Akira’s face as she wrapped her arms around his neck and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Although… I’ll forgive you… only if you win your meet coming up.”

“That’s all?” Akira asked in a near incredulous tone, a smirk of his own flashing onto his face as he wrapped his arms around Sumire’s waist. “That’s some pretty easy forgiveness, Sumire. I was already planning on that.”

“I know,” Sumire got to her tiptoes as she whispered into Akira’s ear, and her grin widened as she felt his entire body tremble underneath her hands. Satisfied with her small victories over Akira, Sumire began to loosen her grip around Akira’s neck and turn towards the pathway leading out of the park. However, Akira had other plans.

“Up you go!” With almost no effort, Sumire was on Akira’s shoulders, the blanket they had been sitting on just a moment ago wrapped around her shoulders and Akira’s arms wrapped solidly around her legs.

“A-Akira!” Sumire yelped, feeling an immense amount of heat rush to her cheeks as Akira jogged down to the path Sumire was originally heading towards.

“What is it, Sumi? Don’t you like the view from up there?” Akira asked, a smirk on his face as he could barely see Sumire’s face, but he could nonetheless see the deep red covering it entirely. Her eyes were wide open and she gripped Akira’s hair tightly, a slight amount of pain that Akira simply shrugged off coming from his scalp as he continued his saunter towards the exit.

“N-No! I-I mean, y-yes, b-b-but…”

“Sorry, I’ll put you down now.” Akira let out a chuckle as he, already having had his fun, bent down to allow Sumire to get off. However, as Sumire shakily got off of Akira’s shoulders, Akira couldn’t see anything but the blue blanket now obscuring his vision. The very next moment his gaze was on Sumire, her lips against his, and despite his best attempt to calm himself Akira felt his heart race once again.

“T-That’s what you get…” Sumire said, her slight pout failing to mask the satisfied grin pulling at her lips as she saw the flurry of emotions on Akira’s face underneath the makeshift trap. A mixture of shock and disappointment adorned his face along with his own heavy blush, but Sumire was focused on the look in his eyes. There was nothing but love in them, love for her, and just as she felt her heart beginning to calm, it sped back up. “N-Now w-we’re even…”

Akira could only nod, his heart stuck in his throat as he stared into Sumire’s glittering red eyes. Even beneath their blanket, he could see the joy deep within her face, her flustered state being overwhelmed by the simple happiness she exuded. Taking a gulp, Akira took a deep breath in, still finding his heart beating quickly, and he reached up for the blanket.

“No, you win,” Akira whispered, removing the blanket gently from over them for the sun’s rays to fall on them once again. “But we really do need to get going. Yusuke is still waiting for us.”

“It’s only because you like toying with me, Akira…” Sumire muttered as Akira folded the blanket, both resuming their gait towards the exit of the park. The superficial pout on her face broke as she leaned into Akira as they walked along the path. She could never truly be upset with Akira, and just feeling the warmth coming from him as his arm wrapped around her body was more than enough for her.

The walk from the park and to the station was uneventful, with Akira putting the blue blanket into his bag as the train stopped in Shibuya, and the two quickly made their way towards the usual cafe, hand in hand and happy smiles adorning their faces.

“Ah, we finally reunite!” Yusuke exclaimed immediately as Akira and Sumire easily spotted his blue hair in the busy diner and made their way towards him, his face lit up with excitement as Akira set down his bag.

“Sorry for the wait, Yusuke,” Akira said with sheepish grins on both his and Sumire’s faces as they sat down opposite the bluenette. 

“Please do not apologize, Akira! I completely understand the desires of a couple wishing to bask in each other’s presence some more, and I see that it was something you both gained something from.” Akira watched as his friend laughed to himself before taking a sip of his nearly dranken water, and a knowing smile crossed his lips.

“Thanks, Yusuke.”

“Thank you, Yusuke.”

The couple shared a smile with the lanky young man when suddenly a low rumbling came from beneath the table. Akira, out of instinct, glanced over to Sumire, but there weren't any traces of embarrassment on her face. That is, until she noticed the look and her face exploded in a burst of red.

“A-Akira!” Sumire exclaimed.

“Sorry, sorry. Force of habit,” Akira replied, returning his gaze from his embarrassed yet somewhat indignant girlfriend onto Yusuke, a small and amused smile on his face.

“I believe that was me, Akira,” Yusuke stated simply, finished his water as Sumire also turned her attention back towards Yusuke.

“You haven’t eaten yet, Yusuke?” She asked, her chest tightening slightly with guilt as the bluenette shook his head.

“It is quite alright, I am used to this feeling. And besides, food is most enjoyable when eaten with friends, is it not?” Yusuke’s warm smile broke through both Akira’s and Sumire’s building guilt instantly, sharing the same smile just as the waitress approached their table. After placing their orders, with Akira and Sumire getting pancakes and Yusuke ordering the steak, the waitress left for the three to resume their conversation.

“How have you been, Yusuke?” Akira asked, stopping Yusuke from asking the same thing with the words already on his tongue, and he grinned at his former leader.

“I have been quite alright. My desire to paint has only increased every day, and I seemingly never run my well of ideas dry,” Yusuke responded gleefully. “Perhaps you have seen, but I have also won a number of competitions within the area over the time we were apart from each other, gaining a serviceable amount of money in order to sustain myself in between competitions. My dream of sharing my art all around the world is truly coming to fruition, slow as it may.”

“All around the world?” Sumire asked nearly instantly, and both her and Akira tilted their heads to the side as a small chuckle emanated from Yusuke.

“Have I not informed you two yet?” With the two in front of Yusuke shaking their heads, more excited chuckles escaped from Yusuke’s lips. “How selfish of me to keep this from you two! I have been selected by the jurors to be part of the International Artists Grand Prize Competition!”

Akira’s jaw dropped at the announcement, the same stunned look on Sumire’s face as Yusuke looked between the two, his eyes glittering with the most excitement Akira had ever seen from him. A satisfied feeling entered within Yusuke’s chest; he had hoped beyond anything that this would be the reaction from his friends, especially his closest one, and the transition on Akira’s face from pure shock to overwhelming joy was a sight to behold for the bluenette.

“Yusuke, that’s incredible!” Akira exclaimed. “You’ve come such a long way as well, there’s no doubt in my mind that you deserve this.”

“I’m so happy for you, Yusuke! I can’t wait to see the piece of art you enter!” Sumire added on, her face making the exact some transition Akira’s did as they both leaned on the table towards the proud bluenette.

“I must thank you both, Akira especially. Without you aiding me so far back I would have never neared this peak I am now rapidly approaching. However, I cannot cease my work now, for I have so much more to learn! I have seen the other artists that have entered and have been chosen from all around their world, and they are all truly unique and beautiful in their own right.” Despite just describing a high bar of competition he was going up against, there was nothing but excitement on Yusuke’s face, his usually calm face breaking even further into his wild grin. The pure energy radiating around the artist quickly spread towards Akira and Sumire, with Sumire’s smile widening even further than her counterpart. 

“To be able to go up against these masterful artists is truly a blessing I do not deserve, but I shall graciously use this chance I have been given to show the world my own heart!” Yusuke announced to the entire cafe, drawing everyone’s attention onto him, but he moved his gaze back onto the ecstatic couple. “What about you two? How have your competitive careers been?”  
Akira motioned towards Sumire as their gazes met, and she nodded excitedly as she turned back towards the already engrossed Yusuke. “I’ve been doing well! Practice is harder than ever, but that’s because we have a Meet coming up in a month. It’s definitely not the biggest one in the year, but I’m still looking to win!” Sumire exclaimed.

“Ah, excellent! The fire within your eyes only pushes my own competitive spirit further. I thank you for that, Sumire,” Yusuke said, nodding his head in satisfaction.

“You too, Yusuke! Just hearing about how far you’ve come is getting me pumped up!” Akira’s grin grew; hearing Sumire this excited about competing was something he would never tire of. “Your turn, Akira!”

“Ah yes, the sole Long Jumper for the University of Tokyo’s Track and Field team. How is that endeavor going, Akira?” Yusuke asked, it being his turn to lean forward towards Akira with an incredible amount of intrigue on his face.

“It’s going great. You already know this, but there’s a Meet coming up this Sunday. There’s not a doubt in my mind that I’m going to win,” Akira said softly, but his voice was filled with pure confidence as his eyes glittered with his own excitement. Sumire and Yusuke stared wide-eyed at the determined face of their former leader. The moment of shock came and went in an instant as Akira’s face softened, his smile returning as stared into Yusuke’s eyes. “My coach and Sumire’s are basically the same, at least with how hard they push us. But you know how I am in the face of a challenge, Yusuke.”

“Indeed I do,” Yusuke chuckled, closing his eyes and nodding his head. “You have demonstrated to us all numerous times how you rise to and above anything that may stand in your way. I believe that you will succeed in anything you do, Akira.”

“Thanks, Yusuke.” Leaning back in the booth, Akira grinned over at his blue haired friend when the waitress returned with their food. After setting everything down and refilling the group’s waters, the three began digging in. Akira and Sumire had actually ordered two stacks of pancakes and, with Akechi’s low grumblings within Akira’s mind, the two tore through the stack along with the side of sausage that came along with their food.

“You two never fail to amaze me,” Yusuke uttered as both sides of the couple set their silverware down on their plates at the same time. He was just finishing his own food, his stomach aptly satisfied, and drank the rest of his Frui-tea in one gulp. “On that topic of amazing, how has Ryuji been, Akira? In one of our brief conversations recently he has informed me that he is already a top sprinter there, but that was a few weeks back.”

“He’s doing great as well. It was said in the group chat a few days ago, but Ann’s forcing him into studying which is going alright for the most part. Complains plenty about it, but he’s somehow managing,” Akira finished with a chuckle; Ryuji has been groaning more and more everyday about studying as exams were approaching, but Ann was nearly constantly over his shoulder.

“I was meaning to ask, how has that come about? I can understand that perhaps Makoto has assisted in improving her own studying, but for what reason does Ann have to help Ryuji?” Yusuke asked, and immediately Akira internally cursed.

‘How the hell does this keep happening? Man, I’ve really let my guard down...’

“We went to one of Ann’s photoshoots a few months ago, and Ryuji was able to catch up with Ann afterwards,” Sumire chimed in. Akira let out a barely detectable sigh of relief as Yusuke looked over towards Sumire, not noticing Akira’s exhalation of breath, and nodded.

“I see. Perhaps you two, as a truly magnificent couple, also feel this way, but I believe they would go well together. It may just be that those two are aesthetically pleasing due to their matching blonde hair, but their personalities do compliment each other nicely as well.”

Akira and Sumire stared in disbelief at Yusuke, unable to wipe away their shock as the bluenette looked between them with his own curiosity crossing his face.

“Did I say something strange?”

“N-No!” Sumire exclaimed, shaking her head wildly while Akira simply closed his eyes and chuckled.

“You too huh?”

“So I was correct in that assumption! That makes me happy to know others believe that as well,” Yusuke said. “Would they be together at the moment now?”

Sumire was now staring intently at Akira, feeling out his reaction. He had already told Makoto and Haru about Ryuji and Ann and both of the blondes were okay with it, the only one they were worried about learning of their relationship being Morgana. Akira let out a sigh, and Sumire could see the conflict within his eyes as he nodded.

“Yeah, they’re at our apartment for the day. Probably watching Featherman again.” Akira let out a quick laugh. The entire show was practically ingrained within his head at this point from both the blondes watching it over and over and Sumire rewatching her favorite parts, but he didn’t mind in the slightest.

“Ah yes, Futaba did show me a few of those episodes a good while back while we were doing our work so far back,” Yusuke commented as he crossed his arm and leaned back in his seat, a serious look in his eyes as he stared over at Akira. “So, am I correct?”

“Hm? What do you mean?” Akira asked, knowing full well what his friend meant and already resigning himself to his fate.

“Are our two blonde friends a couple, the way I envisioned them being?” Yusuke asked once again, and Akira could feel both Sumire’s and Yusuke’s gazes on him as he held his own with Yusuke’s. It was up to him at this point if he wanted to tell Yusuke, and he knew it at this point.

“Yeah, they are,” Akira eventually said, nodding his head. Instantly, a massive grin spread onto Yusuke’s face being followed by soft chuckles.

“I knew it. Perhaps one of these days I should ask them to be models for one of my paintings. Though, I doubt they would be able to remain in a single spot for very long.”

Akira and Sumire quickly joined in with Yusuke’s chuckling fit, and the former leader of the Thieves could see a faint glitter within Yusuke’s eyes that told him only one thing: that he was being deadly serious. 

“If I may ask another question about those two, how did it come about?” 

“Sorry Yusuke, but I want them to tell you all that,” Akira responded naturally much to Yusuke’s chagrin, but the bluenette shook off the feeling as his grin transformed back into a smile.

“Very well, I shall ask them myself when we meet up this Saturday. Does anyone else in our group know about this?”

“Just you, Makoto, and Haru,” Akira replied, being followed with an enthused nod from Sumire.

“Those two are fairly aggressive when they want something. I’m assuming they pressured you into revealing this information?”

“Yup, more or less.” Letting out one last sigh, Akira pulled out his phone. “It’s seven pm right now, what do you two want to do?”

“I believe I shall head back to my dormitory. There is work that I wish to get done today on top of continuing this masterpiece you two have blessed my canvas with, so I’m afraid we will have to part ways.” With two nods from his closest friends, Yusuke got to his feet, his canvas bag slung over his shoulders as he stopped at the head of the table to meet Akira’s eyes. “I truly cannot wait for our meetup on Saturday, for that will be a glorious day. Sumire, thank you dearly for agreeing to model with Akira. I still wish to one day capture the magnificence of your body, Akira, but that will have to wait for another day.”

“I’ll let you know once Sumire let’s me,” Akira said, following it with a light chuckle as he caught Sumire opening her mouth out of the corner of his vision, her cheeks rosy as she leaned forward on the table.

“I-It was my pleasure, Yusuke! A-And congratulations with being accepted for that competition! I’m sure you’ll do amazing!” Sumire exclaimed, and Akira knew it was better to leave the conversation there than to keep pushing.

“See you soon, Yusuke. Take care, alright?”

“But of course, Akira! Without my body and mind being taken care of, my art would suffer,” Yusuke stated before turning towards the cafe door. “Thank you once more, Sumire and Akira, and farewell.”

Yusuke quickly exited the cafe, leaving the couple left to themselves and the dishes left on the table. After a brief moment of silence, other than the rest of the cafe, Akira slowly wrapped his arm around Sumire and brought her towards him. Sumire readily allowed it, and her eyes began to fall as Akira gently brushed his thumb across her shoulder.

“I’m really happy for Yusuke, Akira,” Sumire said with her voice nearly a whisper from Akira’s shoulder. “He’s really doing what he loves.”

“I think that goes for all of us,” Akira replied, his own eyes beginning to droop as Sumire allowed her head to rest fully on his shoulder. A nod was all he received from his girlfriend, her hand placed over his right breast as she was about to fall asleep then and there. “I’m happy for him as well. You may not believe this, but he had his own set of troubles with painting way back when.”

“Really?” Sumire asked sleepily.

“Yeah. I guess we all also had our own problems to work out as well, but here we are.”

“We’re stronger now than we would be without them, right?”

“Exactly,” Akira said confidently and moved to plant a kiss on top of Sumire’s head. However, he found himself, for the second time in the day, with Sumire’s lips planted softly on his own. Both of the lovers’ hearts fluttered as they both melted, staring into one another’s loving eyes.

“We should head back, Akira,” Sumire whispered as she pulled back, the same look of slight disappointment on Akira’s face that she found she was quickly coming to adore. He loved her as much as she loved him, maybe even more. That feeling alone made Sumire’s stomach do flips, but she readily accepted that fate if it meant being close to Akira forever more.

“You’re right,” Akira whispered back, seeing Sumire’s mouth form into a grin as he wiped the disappointed feeling from his heart and face. 

_‘So, you are intentionally playing into her hand,’_ Raoul’s voice echoed within Akira’s head as the couple paid for their food and got up to leave the still packed cafe hand in hand. 

‘You caught me,’ Akira replied back, his happy smile betraying nothing as Sumire held one on her face as well.

 _‘My dear dancer, I believe we have received our wish,’_ Ella spoke gracefully to Sumire, a peaceful silence between her and Akira as they looked inward at their other selves.

‘I think you’re right, Ella,’ Sumire responded, her head resting immediately on Akira’s shoulder as they found two seats open on the train, a rare occurrence in Shibuya. 

“Alright, we’re back!” Akira announced as he opened the unlocked door to his and Ryuji’s apartment. His eyes immediately landed on two blonde heads of hair sitting on the couch facing away from the door, Ann’s head leaning against Ryuji’s as neither of them bothered to turn around.

“Hey! How was Yusuke?” Ryuji called back, his and Ann’s eyes locked on the television as the finale of the last season of Featherman played yet again. Akira’s smile grew into a wide grin as he shook his head lightly, leading Sumire into the apartment and taking the other couch for themselves.

“He’s doing good,” Akira replied, Sumire’s head immediately finding its way back to Akira’s shoulder as she locked onto the television screen. “Park was surprisingly empty, but when we went to the normal cafe there everyone was apparently. I guess the park isn’t good enough for highschoolers.”

“Dude, don’t make it sound like we’re old men or somethin’. We just graduated earlier this year!” Ryuji lightly exclaimed as his own girlfriend was entirely engrossed with the finale yet again. “Though, ever since we met you always seemed a lot older to me. Guess it’s the way you hold yourself.”

“I guess so.” Akira rubbed the back of his head as he leaned back on the couch, Sumire following him as her hand found its way back to his chest. “Oh, should probably get this off my chest. Now Yusuke also knows about you two being together.”

“What, did he also pry it from you? Man, you’re really getting soft,” Ryuji said, grinning at his best friend. The screen flashed as Feather Red was flying towards Gedd once again, and Akira let out a low chuckle as he kept his eyes on Ryuji.

“Nah, that isn’t it. Apparently he saw the same thing we did with you two and prompted us with the question. Since you two were fine with Makoto and Haru, I felt like it would be fine if Yusuke knew as well. Though I’m assuming you still want to tell Morgana yourselves, yeah?” 

Ann finally raised her head and looked over at Akira only to give him a nod, just to return her gaze back to Featherman not a moment later. 

“Well, we can then tell them about the Shadow Ops operation as well on Saturday. It’s been long enough I feel.”

“Oh right, you made a promise to…”

“Mitsuru.”

“Yeah, Mitsuru! Ya made a promise to her to keep quiet about it to the rest of us, yeah? Man, I wonder how everyone’s gonna react.”

Akira let out a long sigh; he was actually dreading that moment. He had built up an almost unbreakable bond of trust with the others, and he didn’t want this to potentially ruin it.

“Hey,” Ryuji interrupted Akira’s thoughts, forcing him to blink a few times to return to reality. “They’ll understand why you didn’t tell them. It’s not like you wouldn’t tell them if you could, yeah?”

“Yeah, you’re right, Ryu–”

A fierce applause came from both Sumire and Ann, startling Akira and Ryuji for a moment before their eyes landed on the credits rolling on the screen, and the two looked over at each other before bursting into laughter.

“Geez, could you guys give us a warning before you do something like that? Felt like I was gonna drop dead for a sec’ there,” Ryuji teased Ann lightly, wiping away the tears building in his eyes as he looked down to see Ann’s face reddened.

“S-Sorry… I just really like this show,” Ann mumbled, a slight pout on her face as she looked upwards at Ryuji. His heart skipped a beat as Ann slowly blinked at him, an almost seductive look in them as she gave him her puppy dog eyes.

“Dammit… How the hell can you look so cute?” Ryuji grumbled as he wrapped his arm around Ann and pulled her closer towards his body, and Akira and Sumire watched in silent amusement as Ann used that opportunity to leap onto Ryuji, pinning him down onto the couch as her hair gently fell onto his face.

“Say that again…” This time, Ann did mean to look seductive as she purposefully pressed herself onto Ryuji’s chest, and she won a rare flustered look from Ryuji as she forced his eyes to be only on her. “Pleeeeease?”

“F-Fine… You look cute, Ann…” Ryuji muttered, and instantly Ann placed her head right on his chest, forcing her arms underneath his torso and hugged him tight. “A-Ann?!”

“You can’t escape now…” Ann purred, her eyes looking up at Ryuji’s wide eyes as her hands moved downwards only to be stopped by a loud cough from her left.

“You two… It’s like we’re not even here, Sumire,” Akira spoke calmly, though his face betrayed his own amusement as Ann and Ryuji looked abashedly at the other couch, Sumire resting on Akira with her face also bent into a grin even as her eyes were nearly shut.

“S-Sorry, Akira…” Both blondes said at the same time, but Ann didn’t bother to climb off of Ryuji as Akira waved them off.

“Eh, it’s fine. Just… make sure you do it in your room, okay?”

Ryuji and Ann blinked for a moment at Akira before realization hit both their faces, shortly followed by a wave of redness washing over their cheeks. However, before either could attempt to begin to argue with Akira, the former leader slowly picked up a now peacefully resting Sumire and stood up, grinning down at the two former Thieves.

“Sumire, you’re staying the night, right?” Gaining a nod from the nearly asleep redhead, Akira nodded towards the two blondes as he walked past the flustered duo. “We’re gonna head into my room for the rest of the night. Remember, Ryuji, we still got early practices this week, so don’t stay up too late.”

“W-What are you, my mom?” Ryuji attempted to fire back, but his own tongue betrayed him. “Whatever, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Ryuji watched as Akira bridal carried his sleeping girlfriend into his room before turning his gaze back onto Ann and let out another groan. “Seriously? S-Stop giving me that look!”

Ann blinked innocently at Ryuji, cocking her head to one side before she slowly climbed up towards his face. “What look?” Ann whispered, a chill instantly being sent through Ryuji’s entire body, and he already knew he lost this fight.

“Whatever… Do you want to go into our room as well?”

“Yeah!” Ann exclaimed happily, wrapping her arms around Ryuji’s neck and looked expectantly at him. “Well?”

“Ugh, fine! You win, alright?” Fully relenting to the unnatural power Ann had over him, Ryuji swung his legs off the couch and, moving his hands underneath Ann, lifted her into the air, a light giggle escaping the girl’s lips.

“I love you, Ryuji,” Ann whispered, and again another chill ran its course throughout his body as he walked towards his room.

“I love you too, Ann. Now, let’s relax for a bit, yeah?”

“Mhm!”

Ann reached upwards as Ryuji opened his door and, after another small giggle escaped her mouth, she pecked him on the cheek, and even more giggles came from her as she saw his face become bright red.

“Akira, today was so much fun…” Sumire sleepily said, already in her nightwear and tucked snugly underneath Akira’s covers. She had a small smile on her face with her eyes shut peacefully, and Akira matched her smile as he climbed under the covers with her after changing himself.

“It was, Sumi. I’m glad you had fun today,” Akira responded, his own voice tired as his eyes began falling.

“I got to see more of you today… I couldn’t… be… happier…” Sumire couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer, and Akira soon heard her light breathing underneath him. With his smile, Akira reached now and gently removed his lover’s glasses, placing them on the nightstand right next to the bed before turning out the lights and rejoining Sumire under the covers. Drowsiness quickly overtaking him, Akira leaned towards Sumire and planted a kiss on her forehead, half expecting to find his lips taken for a third time as he pulled backwards, but Sumire was taken completely by sleep. Akira reached upwards and lightly grabbed hold of her soft hand near her face, her hair splayed out on the bed underneath her, and his smile grew slightly as he saw the utter peacefulness on Sumire’s face.

“I’ll keep showing you myself… Sumi... Goodnight… ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! I'm sure you're all thinking "About time!" and I do not blame you! But I have now returned, and I will be attempting to update both this fic and Reforming the Shattered(my gritty retelling of P5R with a bunch of twists to the original game). Also, I have made numerous changes to the story; some small, some big. For instance, Ryuji and Ann have not learned to fuse with their personas yet, and the Track Meet is a day after meeting with the rest of the Thieves. This just allows for a tighter schedule and doesn't force me to skip over weeks at a time constantly(something I truly do no enjoy doing). If there are any other questions you have, please leave a comment and I will be sure to get back to you.  
> Oh! Also, the prequel to this fic(The Wish for Control) has been revised, mainly YHWH as a character and the fight against him, and that will be referenced within this story so I suggest you all at the very least read the new fight to make sure you are not lost later on.  
> Love you all, and I hope to keep bringing you some really great chapters in the future!


	11. Views on Life

“When’re we meeting with everyone today?”

“Six-thirty pm, Ryuji. How many times do I have to tell you that?”

“Hey, it ain’t my fault! My brain’s all filled with a bunch of other shit right now!”

Laughter filled the apartment as Akira and Ryuji leaned back into their couches. It was the day before their first Meet, a Saturday, but they were just relaxing at their coach’s request. They both had high expectations placed on them, Akira especially due to him being the team’s only chance in the Long Jump, but it didn’t bother either of them. In fact, they were both excited, ready to compete and win their respective events.

“You’re picking up Sumire soon, yeah?” Ryuji asked as he watched Akira pull out his phone, wiping away the small tears building up in his eyes as Akira slipped his phone back into his pocket and nodded.

“Yeah,” Akira responded. “Are you ready for tomorrow? How’s your leg?”

“Hell yeah man! I’m so effin pumped that I can barely think about anything else!” Ryuji was practically bouncing on the couch, staring excitedly at Akira with a huge grin all over his face. “I haven’t gotten my time lower than ten seconds, but I’m still one of the fastest out of all of us. Oh, and my leg’s been fine. Acts up ‘round every month or so, so I think I’ll be alright.”

“So you’re telling me that you’ve been thinking about that and not studying. Noted, and I’m going to tell Ann.” Akira’s grin grew as Ryuji’s face paled instantly, and the blond threw both his hands together in front of him and bowed his head.

“Please don’t.”

Another fit of laughter came from Akira as he stared over at his best friend, and it didn’t take long for Ryuji to join him as the faux tension faded yet again. The air in the apartment was light and cheerful, not an ounce of tension in either of the athletes’ bodies as they both wiped their eyes simultaneously.

“Ah man, this is great,” Ryuji sighed as he turned his grin-turned-smile upwards towards the ceiling. “Doesn’t it feel like we’re free? Like… we can do whatever we want now?”

“Heh, yeah,” Akira chuckled as he moved his legs up onto the couch and placed his hands underneath his head. “I didn’t think I would ever get to this point to be perfectly honest. Since arriving at Shujin, everything has been constantly in motion. It seemed like a new threat popped up after we defeated the one we were just facing.”

“‘Cause they did, man. They really didn’t want us to get a break.” Ryuji’s smile grew as he moved his attention onto Akira. The former leader of the Thieves was completely relaxed, his eyes half closed as he stared upwards. “Man, I’m happy for you.”

“Why’s that?”

“Like, you went through so much shit just to get here,” Ryuji explained as he leaned forward, placing his elbows onto his thighs as he stared happily at Akira. “I still remember what we saw in your Palace last year. At first it scared me, made me embarrassed that I wasn’t there to help you, but… but now I got nothin’ but respect for you, man. You deserve to relax now.”

“You do too, Ryuji,” Akira replied, still keeping his eyes on the ceiling. “And don’t give me too much credit. I only got to this point because of all of you.”

“Sumire especially, I bet.”

Akira let out a light chuckle before nodding. “You caught me. I really don't know where I would be without her.”   
“Same here, man. Even though Ann and I just started goin’ out earlier this year, she’s been pushin’ me since this whole thing started.” Akira finally took his eyes away from the one spot on the ceiling to see Ryuji looking right at him with a thankful look in his eyes. “I guess I gotta thank you for pushing us together like that.”

“What’re you guys talking about?”

Ryuji shot up straight, his head swiveling towards the hallway leading towards the bedrooms and bathroom to see Ann walking into the room. She was wearing a simple red t-shirt along with denim shorts, and Ryuji could still see that her hair was wet as she moved towards him with a smirk on her face

“N-Nothin’!” Ryuji exclaimed, internally cursing himself for stuttering. Thankfully Ann didn’t question him further, instead plopping down next to her fellow blond with her smirk quickly turning into a happy smile.

“We’re meeting up with everyone later today, right?” She asked peacefully, letting her head fall onto Ryuji’s shoulder and taking his right hand into her left.

“Yeah, around six-thirty,” Akira responded. “You two will probably have to break the news as soon as we get there.”

“Only Futaba and Morgana don’t know, yeah?”

“Yeah, everyone else basically forced it out of me,” Akira joked, letting out a quick chuckle as he returned his gaze upwards, a slight pang of loneliness hitting his chest. “I might ask Futaba if I can have Morgana back.”

“What, I’m not enough company for ya?” Ryuji questioned, feigning hurt before grinning at Akira.

“No, I just miss having him in my ear is all. I know this place doesn’t allow pets, but I took him to Shujin everyday and was just fine.”

“I’m down to have him around. He can be annoying as hell, but he’s a good cat.” Ryuji turned his head towards Ann as she giggled on his shoulder, and before he could react she pecked him on the lips.

“He wouldn’t be happy about you calling him a cat,” Ann said as she returned her head to Ryuji’s strong shoulder, her blissful smile growing wider as she caught a light dusting of pink on his cheeks. “Though I guess that is what he is.”

The Living Room of the apartment was filled with light giggles as all three of the former Thieves stared off into space. Ann snuggled closer to Ryuji as he put his arm around her, pulling her into his body even more, as Akira pulled out his phone. With the smile on his face growing, Akira pushed himself off the couch and onto his feet in one motion.

“I’m going to go pick up Sumire now and then head over to Leblanc early to help out Sojiro. I’ll see you two there,” Akira said as he slipped his phone back into his pocket and while the two blondes looked up at him.

“Got it, man. Six-thirty, yeah?”

“Again, yes. Ann, make sure he remembers, okay?”

“Got it!”

“Aw, shuddup and go!”

With a chuckle, Akira turned smoothly towards the door and left the two blondes to themselves. He was wearing what he always wore when they went out: jeans, a white t-shirt, and his black stylish jacket, and even had his black bag with him as he made his way down towards his car.

‘I should probably get a new style…’ Akira thought to himself as he began the drive towards Shujin before shaking his head. ‘Nah, this is fine. Now that I think about it, we all wear pretty much the same things every time we meet up...’

The drive to his old highschool was boring and uneventful, but thankfully he wasn’t stopped by too many redlights along the way. Then, as he pulled up to a spot along the road and parked, his phone began buzzing and he immediately answered it with a smile.

“How’s my princess doing?”

“A-Akira! You know that’s not good for my heart by now!” Akira’s grin grew even wider. He could see Sumire’s bright red face in his mind, nearly matching her flowing red hair and her ruby eyes beneath her glasses. Before he knew it, he was engrossed with the mental image, nearly forgetting he was in a phone call with her just then. “Are you here yet, Akira?”

“O-Oh, yeah!” Akira quickly exclaimed as he shook his head.

“I’ll be at the front gates waiting for you,” Sumire responded, and this time Akira could hear a smirk within her voice.

“I’ll be there soon!” 

“Okay! I love you, Akira!”

“I love you too, Sumi!”

A smile on his face and an immensely warm feeling within his chest, Akira quickly locked his car and began jogging down the long road that led to Shujin. His body was slightly sore from the constant practicing Fukuda put him through this week, but he was grateful for it as it gave him ample opportunity to hold back the strength he had received from the Will of the Masses. As he jogged past the waning crowd of students leaving Shujin, Akira didn’t feel strained at all as he was able to restrain most of the godlike power now. He could hold it all back for around thirty minutes at a time now before having to go back to around half power to rest, but that time allowed him to practice just as himself, no otherworldly powers assisting him.

“Akira!”

Although Akira was keeping everything at bay, he allowed some of the power to flow through him as Sumire’s voice reached his ears. The sight alone of her waving gleefully at him was enough to fill his heart with content and love, and Akira rushed at near inhuman speeds towards his girlfriend and embraced her before she could react. She was wearing black tights and her normal black jacket with yellow outlines, her hair free and glasses adorning her face.

“There you are,” Akira whispered, holding Sumire tightly as his grey eyes met her red. “I missed you.”

Sumire had to do everything in her power not to let her feelings get the better of her, instead smirking as she got on her tiptoes to get closer to Akira’s face. “You always miss me, Akira.”

“Can you blame me? Whenever we’re apart it feels like a piece of me is gone.”

“Silly, I’m always with you. In here.” Sumire tapped Akira’s chest, and he let out a light chuckle. Before Sumire could move her gaze back up to him she found that she was swept off her feet. She couldn’t even make a sound as her and Akira were suddenly just a few meters away from his car, still on the main road running parallel to Shujin Academy.

“Perhaps that’s true, but I prefer having you in my arms,” Akira grinned down at his frazzled girlfriend, and his amusement grew as her face grew bright red when she looked down to see she was in a bridal carry. “My princess.”

“S-Senpai… Please put me down…” Sumire whined as she hid her face into Akira’s chest in a desperate attempt to hide her embarrassment, slipping into old habits along the way.

“Got it.” Akira immediately did as he was told, gently setting down Sumire. However, Sumire had a grin on her face as Akira began straightening back up, eyes already on his lips as she prepared to get onto her tiptoes, but instead of surprising him she felt two strong hands wrap around her waist and bring her against Akira’s solid body. 

Despite her eyes widening and her heart skipping a beat, Sumire smiled as she melted into Akira’s kiss, wrapping her arms around him as their glasses bumped into one another's. Neither cared, their eyes closing as they shared the passionate moment. Luckily not many people were passing by, but the few that did shot them confused looks and sharp glares before moving on. 

“I could stay like this forever,” Akira whispered as he broke from the kiss, Sumire’s radiant face emulating the exact feeling in his heart as he stared down at his beloved.

“We can now, Senpai,” Sumire responded. A cool rush was sent throughout his body, the hairs on his arms standing upright as he blinked slowly down at Sumire. She was right; they can live in complete peace now. However, Sumire didn’t allow Akira much time to think as she reached her right hand up towards his face. “We’re going to Leblanc, right? Let’s go, my prince.”

The sudden confidence in Sumire’s voice, on her face, spread to Akira in an instant as a smirk of his own crossed his face as he backed up and held out his right hand. “Right after you, my lady.”

Giggling, Sumire tenderly grabbed hold of Akira’s hand as the two turned towards and moved the rest of the way to his car. In silence, the two entered the car and Akira began driving, his smile never leaving his face. The ride to Leblanc was short and void of events, but that’s just how Akira and Sumire wanted it to be, especially Sumire as she stole loving glances at Akira.

‘He really has changed… I’m so happy,’ she thought. ‘He doesn’t even have his evoker on…’ 

“What’re you smiling about?” Akira looked over, stopping at a red light, and Sumire suddenly leaned over and pecked him on the cheek.

“I love you, Akira,” she whispered as she was pulling away, letting a string of giggles out as she saw a light dusting of pink on his cheeks. 

“Not fair, Sumi,” Akira laughed as the light turned green. but his blush never went away for the rest of the drive.

“Shall we?” As Sumire walked over towards Akira after parking, Akira offered her his hand, a gentle smile on his face.

“We shall,” Sumire responded, the same smile on her own as she let her slender hand fall into Akira’s. Her thumb brushed the back of his hand as they began walking and she nearly stopped in her tracks, having to steal a glance towards their interlocked hands to remind herself.

‘That’s right… When he was fighting, before we all got there that day, that god… stabbed him. No, I can’t think about that…’

“Hey,” Akira said, his voice barely above a whisper as he gently squeezed Sumire’s hand, but she kept her head forward and tilted downwards, trying to get those thoughts from her mind. However, as she tried to keep walking forward, Akira stopped himself and her with a slight tug. “Hey, whatever you’re thinking about, stop it. Everything is fine now.”

“I… I’m sorry… I just remembered what happened to you last year… With your hand and all… If I got there earlier, maybe it wouldn’t have happened…” Sumire trailed off, unable to meet Akira’s strong gaze. 

“What, this?” Akira held up his hand, the section where he was impaled so much lighter than the rest of his skin. “You realize that I have these things all over me, right?” 

“But…!”

Before Sumire could argue back, her breath was taken away, her lips against his. She felt like she could cry, but Akira’s warmth, his smile, his soft touch as he brushed his thumb across her cheek kept the tears at bay. 

“This, along with everything else, is a reminder for what I fought for, what we fought for. And,” Akira paused, taking his hand on Sumire’s cheek and lifting her chin upwards for their eyes to meet. “They remind me that we won, of what we won. So don’t think about the past like that, okay? Let’s just… think of the future.”

A moment passed for Sumire, holding her breath as she stared deep into Akira’s grey eyes. She could feel his love, his adoration, his sheer confidence radiating from the gaze. Any tension in her body seeped out in that instance as she matched his smile and nodded. “Thank you, Akira. You always know how to make me feel better.”

“That’s my job, silly. And yours is to make me feel better,” Akira whispered as he retook Sumire’s hand in his own and the two began walking once again through the fairly busy district. Each step Sumire felt her guilt, her doubt, her fear fade away only to be replaced with love and calm. As they walked, Sumire’s chest nearly exploded as Akira brushed his thumb across the back of her hand, but she closed her eyes and laid her head on his shoulder.

“I love you, Akira.”

“I love you too, Sumi.” Hand in hand, head on shoulder, the couple made their way towards Leblanc, stopping just before the door. Sumire reluctantly pulled her head off of Akira, her heart sinking slightly but was replaced with amusement as she knew what was coming when Akira walked towards the door. “After you, my sweet,” Akira said with a bow as he opened the door, already catching a glimpse of two people inside.

“Thank you, my darling,” Sumire giggled, and as she passed by Akira she brushed her lips against his cheek. Before Akira could react she was inside, and a grin flashed onto his reddening face as he followed after his joyful girlfriend.

“Ah, there you two are,” Sojiro announced, a full smile on his face as his and Akira’s eyes met. Akira returned the smile as the older man quickly made his way around the counter and towards the couple. “How’s it going, kid?”

“It’s going. See this place is as busy as always.”

“Well, I would have been busy today if I didn’t have to close down for a certain someone’s party.” Sojiro wore a scowl on his face, barely concealing his own amusement as Akira grinned freely back at him.

“Sorry about that,” Akira responded, leaning against the nearest booth as a light chuckle came from the other person in the cafe.

“You two never miss a beat with each other, do you?” Sae said, a calm smile on her face as she got up and turned towards Akira and Sumire. “Akira, Sumire, how are you two?”

“I’m doing good! How are you, Sae-san?” Sumire asked back.

“Life has been busy, but certainly a lot more peaceful than the last couple of years.”

“You got that right,” Akira chuckled, pushing himself from his spot and began walking towards the counter with Sumire following as the two sat down on the stools. “What all needs to be done, Sojiro?”

“I still have to run to the store to pick up more ingredients. Especially with you two here, I’m not sure if I have enough for tonight,” Sojiro replied with a smirk. “Other than that, there’s nothing else to do but wait, so why don’t you two relax for a while?”

“Why don’t I go for you, Sojiro? I’m sure you want to talk with Akira and Sumire before everyone else gets here,” Sae interrupted Sojiro as he began walking towards the door, stopping and turning around to look at the younger woman in surprise before lightly chuckling.

“That’d be great. Here, I’ll write down what I was going to pick up for you.” Akira and Sumire watched as Sojiro walked back around the counter with Akira’s eyes widened in shock.

“Didn’t expect you to back down, Sojiro,” Akira mentioned as Sojiro put down his pen and held the list of ingredients towards Sae who gladly took it. 

“Sojiro and I have gotten to know each other even more since we last met. I stop by Leblanc nearly every day before going into work,” Sae said with a smile.

“What she said. And I’ve learned by now that it’s pointless arguing with her,” Sojiro scoffed as Sae just rolled her eyes. 

“Well, I’ll be going now. I’ll see you three when I get back.” 

“See you, Sae.”

“Bye, Sae-san!”

Holding her hand up in goodbye, Sae left Leblanc, leaving the three in silence before Sojiro turned back towards Akira. “So, you got a Meet tomorrow? How’re you feeling?”

“I’m ready,” Akira said with a nod, determination flooding into his eyes as he stared up at the older man.

“Well, if that’s the case I might just not open tomorrow and come watch,” Sojiro chuckled, and again Akira looked at his father figure slightly in shock. “What’re you giving me that look for? Why wouldn’t I come watch you?”

Akira didn’t actually have anything to respond with, his mouth hanging open slightly as Sojiro’s bright smirk radiated downwards towards him. All his friends agreed to be there, it being the end of Golden Week and on a Sunday, but he didn’t expect Sojiro to want to go for some reason. However, he regained his bearings quickly after shaking his head rapidly, a smile ending up on his face as he stared up at Sojiro.

“What about you, missy? How’s Gymnastics going?”

“It’s great! I feel myself steadily improving, so when I go to the Meet coming up in a month I’ll also be ready! I’m going to win this!” Akira’s smile moved from Sojiro to Sumire as both men looked over at her sunny face. His heart started to pound within his chest, but Akira didn’t mind it. In fact, he adored how she made him feel this way, and his smile only grew as she turned towards him. “Akira and I are going to stand on the top of the world! In our respective sports!”

“Woah, I like the passion!” Sojiro exclaimed, not seeing the shock written across Akira’s face. However, Sumire noticed it and her beaming face fell slightly.

“Akira? Did… Did I go too far?” Sumire asked, and Akira’s hand immediately positioned itself underneath her chin again, keeping it there as she tried to look downwards and stared lovingly into her red orbs.

“No, no you didn’t,” Akira responded firmly, and his famous Joker-esque grin flashed onto his face. “We’re going to take the world stage by storm!”

It felt strange to say that about anything other than fighting calamity-bringing threats, but it would be worth saying over and over again for Akira just to see the absolute radiance coming from Sumire’s face.

“Right!” Sumire exclaimed, and suddenly Akira’s entire world shifted just like that. First a small chuckle escaped from his lips, then a light laugh, and before he knew it he was full on belly laughing. The other two in the cafe looked at him in confusion, but his infectious joy quickly spread as their curious frowns turned into full smiles. “Akira?”

“Man, I… I can’t believe that it came to this,” Akira said, wiping away tears of laughter as he stared upwards. “It felt like just yesterday we were fighting for our lives, day in and day out, but now I’m looking forward to competing internationally. Life is so weird, it almost feels like a dream.”

“But this is real, Akira,” Sojiro stated firmly, drawing Akira’s and Sumire’s gazes onto him as he locked eyes with the young man in front of him, the one who had saved the world over, and over, and over again. “Live your life free without worry. Let the adults handle everything from now on.”   
“Don’t have to tell me twice,” Akira joked, trying to lighten the sudden mood shift in the cafe, but Sojiro’s serious gaze never wavered, forcing Akira to take a breath as his own eyes sharpened with seriousness. “Alright, I will. I’ve moved past that life anyways, despite having a god inside of me.” Akira’s scarred hand moved over to Sumire’s, lightly grasping it as he glanced over to her to see her radiant smile. “Sumire showed that there’s more than just fighting in life, that I can live peacefully with my friends and family. So don’t worry… Dad.”

Sojiro’s heart nearly stopped then and there. If it had, he would have died the happiest person on Earth, but he was damn happy he stayed alive as he slowly went up to wipe the liquid beginning to pour from his eyes. “Dammit, Akira, you… you can’t do that to me out of nowhere,” Sojiro sniffled, the air within Leblanc getting instantly lighter as Sumire leaned her head against Akira.

“You two are so sweet together,” Sumire whispered, her grip tightening around Akira’s hand as she turned to look up at him. In doing so, her smile grew as she saw tears within Akira’s eyes and knew that everything was going to turn out okay for him. Again, Sumire found her chest swelling with pride as she stared upwards, amazed at the person she loved most in all the world. They had finally both reached the summit of a new life, a life where they can live in peace, one where there’s no more stress. Even if something were to happen, there were people out there that could handle it, and it filled Sumire with the utmost comfort that Akira believed that as well.

“Alright, I’m ba- Did something happen while I was gone?” Sae’s voice broke through the long silence, hands full of groceries as the door to Leblanc closed behind her. However, her look of worry and concern vanished as she set her eyes on the content faces of all three people in front of her, tears welling in Akira’s and Sojiro’s eyes, and set down the groceries before sitting in a booth. “I take it that you three had a moment?”

“Something like that,” Sojiro said, his voice almost a whisper as he wiped the final tears remaining in his eyes before turning his eyes towards the large amount of groceries Sae brought back. “Thanks. I’ll pay you back later.”

“No need,” Sae interrupted, waving off Sojiro as he reached for his wallet and getting the older man’s gaze. “Just make us an amazing curry and I’ll be fine.”

“Heh, alright! Kid, you wanna help out this old fart?”

“Is that even a question?” Akira was already on his feet and right next to Sojiro behind the counter, a small gust of wind blowing behind him as the other three stared at him wide eyed. “Force of habit.” Grinning, Akira rubbed the back of his neck and met Sumire’s red eyes, and his grin grew even wider as she just smiled sweetly at him.

“More like force of nature…” Sojiro grumbled as he grabbed the grocery bags.

“What?” Akira asked, but Sojiro just chuckled as he instantly got to work.

“Prepare the rice, kid. We’re gonna need a lot of it.”

The two men began working on the immense amount of curry Sojiro planned for the get together later today, Akira keeping an eye on the rice as Sojiro worked on the main portions of the meal. Sumire and Sae sat in silence as they watched the two work, Sumire’s starry gaze staying on Akira as he occasionally moved around Sojiro to assist in a second batch of the curry. The entirety of the cafe was filled with an amazing scent as the two worked together, and the time flew by as all four were lost in a trance.

“Akira! Sumire!”

Akira perked up as the familiar voice of his favorite gremlin met his ears, and his calm smile while cooking turned into a grin as he saw Futaba rushing into the store with Morgana right on her heels.

“How’s it going, Futaba?” Akira glanced at Sojiro and moved towards Sumire and sat down after the old man nodded at him.

“It’s going! I feel like I’m waaaaay too overleveled for school. I swear, even the bosses they send my way are too easy for me!” Futaba exclaimed excitedly, bouncing in front of Akira and Sumire as the couple simply smiled at the orange haired girl dressed in her normal outfit that Akira had gotten used to by the first week he knew her. “Oh, and don’t think Mona and I didn’t hear you two getting sappy in here!”

“I thought you took all those down,” Sojiro replied gruffly, and instantly Futaba straightened, the fear of god placed within her eyes.

“I-I… Um… Akira, help me!” Futaba whispered with Sojiro clearly still able to hear her, but Akira simply shook his head as he crossed his legs. “Traitor!”

“How has living with Futaba been, Morgana?” Akira turned his attention down to his feline partner in crime, immediately feeling nostalgic for the days of the past two years as Morgana jumped onto the open stool right next to him.

“It’s been awful, Akira! Her room is always a mess and she tries to feed me frozen food all the time!” Morgana burst out, but even as Akira could sense the sarcasm in his voice he kept a serious look on his face.

“Well, I guess that means I’ll have to take you back with me then,” Akira sighed.

“She constantly keeps me up all night and I barely get any sleep! So Akira, you have to take me ba- Wait, what?!” As Morgana stared up in disbelief at Akira, the raven haired teen let his grin reappear.

“Was this your guys’ plan? To try and guilt trip me into taking Morgana back?” Akira asked, moving his eyes upwards to see Futaba’s head shoot to the side as she tried, and failed miserably, to whistle.

“B-But your apartment doesn’t allow animals, right Akira?!” Morgana continued on, and Akira let out a chuckle.

“Yeah, it doesn’t, but when have rules stopped me from bringing you somewhere?” Akira countered, and instantly Morgana’s eyes lit up. 

“So you really want me back?” 

Another chuckle came from Akira.

“Is that even a question? I need my guide with me again.” The two companion’s eyes met, with Akira’s bright and smiling while Morgana’s were filled with disbelief. The cafe was entirely silent, the others smiling at the two, when Morgana sprung up onto Akira’s lap.

“Akira!” Morgana cried, climbing up to the former leader’s shoulders with ease in excitement. “I won’t let you take this back! You’re stuck with me forever, okay?!”

“Heh, sounds good,” Akira replied calmly, his smile spanning his entire face as he turned towards his cat companion standing on his shoulders. “I’m counting on you, partner.”

“You can count on me!”

“I’m so happy for you two, Akira, Morgana!” Sumire exclaimed, pulling both of the happy duo’s attention towards her as she clasped her hands. “You’re like brothers!”

“Brothers?” Morgana repeated as he and Akira turned towards each other, and two grins spread on their faces simultaneously. 

“That fits us pretty well,” Akira chuckled, but before the two could continue on, a ringing sound echoed around Leblanc.

“Hello, I hope we’re not too late!” 

“Hello everyone! How are you all?”

“Makoto! Haru!” Akira exclaimed, moving quickly to get onto his feet while keeping Morgana steady. “Don’t worry about being late. Ann, Ryuji, and Yusuke aren’t here ye- Speak of the devil!”

“Ah, thank goodness I am not the last one!” Yusuke exclaimed, walking through the entrance with a large smile as all the others turned towards him. “I apologize for the delay, I was trying to conserve money by walking instead of taking the subway. I was glad to see Makoto and Haru in front of me.”

“We know how you are… Weirdo Inari…” Futaba grumbled with a smirk on her face as she turned away from Yusuke.

“Hm? What did you say?” Yusuke asked, but before the two could get into it Akira walked towards the three newcomers.

“How’re you three doing?”

“I am doing quite alright. I see you and Morgana have not wasted any time reacquainting with one another,” Yusuke commented with a smile as he put his hands up, finger framing the two as Akira turned towards the two older girls.

“I’m doing great as well. Nothing much has changed since the last time we saw each other, though,” Makoto responded, and Haru nodded vigorously next to her.

“Same with me. Mako-chan and I have been hanging out quite a lot, though, making this a really peaceful Golden Week. And you and Ryuji have a Meet tomorrow, correct?”

“Let’s wait for Ryuji and Ann to get here before we get into that, but yeah,” Akira nodded and pulled out his phone with a frown flashing onto his face; it was already six thirty-five. “I don’t know how many times I told him that we were meeting at six thirty…”

“Akira, this  _ is _ Ryuji we’re talking about,” Sumire giggled as she got up from her stool and moved to Akira’s side, wrapping her arm through Akira’s and beamed upwards at him. “They probably got caught up doing stuff together.”

“Wait, together?” Morgana asked, a hint of suspicion in his voice as he turned towards Sumire even as he was still on Akira’s shoulders. “Is Lady Ann with Ryuji right now?”

“Oh, um…” Sumire’s face flashed with realization, and Akira turned his head enough to face Morgana.

“They’ve been getting closer and closer recently and have been hanging out with us,” Akira said simply, wincing internally as Morgana simply nodded his head. It hurt to lie like that, even if it was just leaving out the major facts. “But either way, I hope they get here so–”

Almost like clockwork, the bell to the door to Leblanc jingled on last time as the remaining two Thieves burst into the cafe. “Sorry we’re late!” Ann exclaimed. “Ryuji and I got caught up… well…”

Akira let out a sigh as he felt his feline companion tense up; here it comes. The two blondes were hand in hand, blushes on both their faces as they stood awkwardly in the entrance of Leblanc. They were both in their normal casual clothes, but their hair was ruffled and messed up. “Everyone, let’s take a seat. I think these two have something to say. Sojiro, can you–”

“On it, kid,” Sojiro said, a smirk on his face as all the Thieves did as Akira said. Sumire sat next to him and Morgana as Ryuji and Ann sat directly opposite, with Makoto and Haru in the booth behind him and Futaba and Yusuke in the one behind Ryuji and Ann. A tense silence filled the cafe, Akira practically feeling the glare coming from Morgana even as it wasn’t directed at him. The only sound that was made was Sojiro making the coffee and then setting the drinks for the Thieves in front of them before sitting next to Sae at the counter.

“Ah dammit, Ann and I are going out! We’ve been going out for a while now!” Cutting through the silence, Ryuji slammed down his empty drink onto the table. Akira took a deep breath in, his focus entirely on the cat on his shoulders and subsequently on the Magician Arcana within him, but the expected reaction never came. Both were entirely calm, almost happy, and Akira reopened his eyes just as Morgana leapt off him and onto the table.

“Um, Mona-chan? Are… Are you okay?” Haru asked, the cat staying entirely silent as he walked towards the two blondes.

“Morgana, please say something. You’re beginning to freak me out,” Makoto chimed in, her voice shaking slightly, but Morgana simply looked upwards and let out a long sigh.

“I knew I could never be with you, Ann.” To everyone’s surprise, he was entirely calm, his voice levelled out as he stared up into Ann’s blue eyes. “I so desperately wanted you to share my feelings, but… I know that you never felt the same and you never would. I’m a cat and you’re a human, and I’m not an idiot. Us being together was never a possibility. But… I was stubborn. That stubbornness led to me wanting to become human when Maruki took over… kind of. I loved you, and I still do, but… but that love for you makes me so incredibly happy to see you happy. As long as I have Akira, Sumire, and all of you guys, I’ll be fine.”

“Morgana…” Ann whispered, tears welling in her eyes, but the cat shook his head before she could continue.

“I said this once before, when I came back after running away, but this is truly where I belong. With all of you guys.”

“Dude…” Ryuji felt his throat tighten slightly as he stared down at Morgana. “I promise… I promise I’ll take care of Ann. For the both of us.”

“Heh, you better Ryuji,” Morgana responded to the blond with a smirk before his eyes grew serious. “And if you don’t, I’ll be there to set you straight.”

“H-Huh?!”

“Oh right, Morgana is gonna live with us starting today,” Akira said plainly, and everyone that was absent during the conversation stared wide eyed at their former leader.

“Wait… For real?!”

Akira nodded, taking a glance to his left to see Sumire smiling brightly up at him as she snaked her arm through his.

“I thought you were kiddin’ earlier today, but you’re actually serious?” Another nod. “So like, the three of us are roommates now? Dude, that’s awesome!”

“Glad we can agree on that,” Morgana said with a smirk, and the two made eye contact as Ryuji had his own excited smile on his face. 

“So, so! How did you two get together?” Futaba was bouncing in her seat as she looked at Ann and Ryuji.

“Can you please stop that?!” Yusuke demanded, but the girl continued on anyways even as he was clutching at his stomach.

“Ahem!” Sojiro clapped his hands together, and Leblanc instantly became still as all eyes were on him. “First, let’s eat! Kid, help me serve everything ou–”

In a flash, Akira moved past Sumire and was standing next to Sojiro, his grin meeting Sojiro’s both shocked and miffed face. “With pleasure.”

“You keep that up and I’ll have a damn heart attack one of these days…” Sojiro muttered as Akira grabbed four plates of curry.

“You’re such a show off, Akira. We already know that you’re basically maxed out in everything, even out here,” Futaba said with a smirk.

“Some things will never change,” Makoto sighed, though she also had a smile on her face even as she shook her head with Haru giggling next to her. As Akira set all the plates of food in front of his friends and began walking back to his spot, he scratched the back of his head with a sheepish smile on his face.

“Let’s eat!”

The cafe erupted with sounds of forks clinking against porcelain, the hungry young adults scarfing down their food like they hadn’t eaten in weeks. No conversations were to be had, only the destruction of the delicious curry in front of them all with the occasional “Mm!” coming from the satisfied former Thieves. 

“Damn Boss! This curry keeps getting better every time I eat it!” Ryuji shouted after swallowing a particularly big mouthful, draining it down with a large gulp of his soda.

“It’s always the same, though,” Sojiro responded.

“Really?!” Ryuji shot his head over to the older man who just smirked at him.

“Maybe it’s because you haven’t had it in a while, Ryuji,” Morgana chimed in, finishing up his small plate of the signature meal. “But no matter how many times I have it, it never ceases to amaze me. Akira! I demand that you make this every night!”

“Every night?” Akira raised his eyebrows as he looked down at his feline partner whose tail was whipping from side to side, nearly smacking Ryuji in the face every time it passed by. “I’ll have to go pick up some ingredients then…”

“Wait, are you serious?” Ryuji shouted, his eyes glittering with excitement, and Akira chuckled as he looked over at Sumire.

“What do you think? Would you want curry every night?”

“Yours is almost good as Sojiro’s, so yes!” Sumire smiled brightly up at Akira, and his face broke into a grin as he brought his thumb up and wiped away a small amount of sauce from the corner of her mouth. However, before Sumire could react, Akira’s lips met her own, and the two’s world shrunk instantly. It was just them, everyone and everything else going dark. Their hearts were beating as one, Raoul and Ella reaching forward within their souls and grabbing each other’s hands as they twirled upwards. They were engrossed with the other, nothing else being allowed within their minds as the stress of life vanished completely, and their arms began wrapping around each other’s bodi–.

“Ahem!” Suddenly, their worlds expanded back to their original point, the spotlight on them vanishing as the couple felt the gazes of their friends on them. Simultaneously, two blushes appeared on their faces as they separated, but their hands remained interlocked as they looked around to see everyone smirking at them, Sojiro’s being the biggest of them all as he shook his head. “Seriously, it’s like you two get lost in your own world sometimes…”

“Hehe…” Akira nervously laughed, his blush growing deeper as he shifted back into his seat, but Sumire had other plans as she laid her head against his shoulder with her hands clasping onto his other shoulder. “Sumire?”

“I wouldn’t mind a world like that…” 

Akira’s heart nearly burst out of his chest as he stared down at his girlfriend. Her eyes were large and calming, her soft voice bouncing around in his mind, and he felt his world shrinking again. 

“I-I wouldn’t either,” he eventually admitted, feeling just the smallest amount of disgust coming from the other person living within him and grinned internally before returning his focus onto Sumire.

“Please tell me you two won’t be like them…” Morgana groaned, pulling Akira and Sumire’s attention from each other as he stared at Ryuji and Ann.

“They’re even worse than we are, Morgana,” Akira stated before either blonde could open their mouths. “It feels like they’re all over each other twenty-four seven, like sometimes Sumire and I aren’t even there.”

“A-Akira!” Ann exclaimed, her face burning red hot with every word he said. “T-That isn’t true!”

“Hehe, your face says different Ann!” Futaba laughed behind the blonde, who spun around to see a perverted grin on the younger girl’s face. “I can only imagine the things you two do at night. You both have rocking bo–”

“Futaba!” This time it was Ryuji’s turn to shout out, his own face burning just as brightly as Ann’s as he flipped back towards Akira and Sumire. “It ain’t like you two just weren’t all over each other!”

“Indeed, you two definitely enjoy physical contact with one another,” Yusuke commented, and Akira could hardly feel angry with the bluenette as he wore a completely serious look on his face. “Perhaps I should paint the four of you together… Yes, that would be a most excellent painting!”

“Weirdo Inari…”

“Why do you keep calling me weird!?”

“Because you are!”

“How dare you!”

As the chaos ensued around Leblanc, the two couples playfully arguing with one another while Yusuke and Futaba went at it, Makoto and Haru made eye contact with each other and giggled. “I’ve really missed this, Mako-chan.”

“Me too. It’s been too long since we’ve hung out,” Makoto responded, her grin widening as, in his flustered state, Ryuji spilled his refill of soda all over the table.

“What are you talking about? We’ve been hanging out a lot!” Haru beamed over at Makoto, and for some reason a light dusting of pink covered her cheeks.

“Y-You know that’s not what I meant!” 

“I know, it’s just fun to see you get flustered Mako-chan!” Haru exclaimed, her smiling face growing brighter as she grew closer to Makoto.

“Hm?” Akira muttered within the chaos, ignoring the blush on his cheeks as he stole a glance behind himself to see the scene as Haru smiling brightly at a lightly blushing Makoto. However, before he could make anything out of it, Sojiro let out another loud cough.

“Alright, alright, that’s enough. Don’t you two have some explaining to do now?” Sojiro asked, facing towards the two blondes who were now clinging to each other.

“O-Oh right!” They both exclaimed, and Ann let go of Ryuji while Ryuji left his arm wrapped around Ann’s body as all the Thieves became quiet. Everyone’s attention was on them, and Akira closed his eyes; he knew the time was coming for him to break the news.

“W-Well, I had a pretty big photoshoot a while back and asked if Akira and Sumire wanted to come, and Akira offered to ask to see if Ryuji would come as well,” Ann began, a small smile on her face as she looked up at Ryuji to continue.

“I said yeah, and the photoshoot was okay…” Ryuji quickly said right before receiving a light jab in the gut.

“That’s not what happened! You ran away midway through the photoshoot!” Ann exclaimed.

“Only because you winked at me! I can’t handle that sort of shit, especially with you lookin’ all sexy and shit!” Ryuji fired back, and everyone’s grins grew substantially as they watched the realization strike both of the blonde’s faces, their mouths opening in shock as their blushes returned in full force.

“So wait, you two just got together afterwards? Just like that?” Futaba pressed on as the blondes went completely silent, staring at each other before taking a glance over at Akira. It was time.

“Sumire and I had to leave afterwards, so we left those two together,” Akira continued on for the blondes, and everyone looked at him confusedly except for Sumire, the two blondes, and Sojiro. “And… they ran into Shadows.”

“What?!” Instantly, everyone except those that knew of the Aberration's existence shouted out, their eyes widened as Morgana approached Akira.

“I couldn’t tell you guys because Mitsuru and the Shadow Ops asked me to keep quiet on it. I’m sorry; I would have told you all instantly if I could.”

“Then why are you telling us now?” Makoto asked, turning Akira’s attention towards her.

“They only asked for my silence for the beginning of their investigation into it, not wanting to stir us up and try to get involved. And besides, it wouldn’t have felt right telling you guys over text.”

“You could have asked us to get together that Sunday, though!” Futaba exclaimed, but Akira just shook his head.

“They have this under control. I haven’t heard about any sort of attacks ever since, and the fact that none of you have either tells me that there is nothing to worry about.”

“But what if something does happen, Akira? Wouldn’t they require our help, especially if it’s not in the area?” Haru asked calmly, and again Akira shook his head.

“I’ve been to their Headquarters, Haru. They have scanners, trackers, and other advanced technology to help them detect and go to where the Shadows are.”

“You seem eager to stay out of their way, Akira. Why is that?” Yusuke mentioned, and Akira calmly stared back at his bluenette friend before chuckling and turning towards Sumire.

“At first I wanted to help; felt like it was my job to do so. Especially with the powers I have, it felt like I was required to. But ever since going to University, I’ve been living life how it was meant to be lived, and I found something new to put my time and energy into.” Akira met Sumire’s warm smile as she tightened her grasp around his hand. “We can’t live like this forever because this isn’t the path we chose last year. If worst comes to worst then we’ll do what is necessary, but I choose not to focus on that. I trust in Minato, Aigis, Mitsuru, and all of the Shadow Ops to figure this out and keep us safe.”

Akira’s words hung in the heavy air, but his bright face broke through the tension that had manifested as the conversation began. All his friends stared at him in shock, even Ann and Ryuji couldn’t quite believe what he was saying, but Sumire kept her loving gaze solely on Akira’s grey eyes. They were sparkling with a determination that he only reserved for when he was deadly serious, and Sumire’s heart rose to new heights as she realized that fact.

“Akira…” She whispered, setting her head on his shoulder yet again as she closed her eyes. Everyone stared between the two, but she didn’t care as Akira simply stroked her hair, his own eyes beginning to fall. “I’m proud of you, Akira.”

“So… We’re not going to be fighting?” Futaba asked hesitantly as she watched the tender moment between the couple, Akira laying his head on top of Sumire’s.

“Yeah, we’re done,” Akira answered, and everyone knew that his word was final. However, as Akira opened his eyes again, he was met with the relieved faces of all his friends, his gaze landing on a grinning Sojiro and Sae at the counter. As he stared at them, he noticed a gleam of determination within their eyes, but yet again he was torn from his initial thoughts as Futaba began jumping up and down again.

“Hey, you two never told us how you hooked up! Akira butted in to tell us that, so now you need to finish!” Futaba demanded.

“Please… My stomach can’t handle anymore of this!” Yusuke pleaded, with it taking Ann looking back at the gremlin girl to get her to stop.

“Ryuji got injured during our fight and… I confessed, okay?” Ann said, her face already heating up as Ryuji grinned over at her.

“C’mon, you can’t skip out on the details Ann! We were taken back to the HQ of those Shadow Ops guys, I was put into one of those beds while I was knocked out cold, and when I woke up Ann came over to me. I didn’t know what was happening or what was goin’ on with her, but then she just kissed me. Then I asked if she was gonna sleep with me and, to my surprise, she nod–”

“That’s enough, Ryuji!” Ann exclaimed, her hand shooting over Ryuji’s mouth as Morgana’s eyes narrowed at them.

“That’s so cute! I’m so happy for you two!” Haru clapped her hands together with Makoto nodding right next to her.

“Congratulations to both of you.”

“Ah yes, I can see it within my mind’s eye. Perhaps I could paint that one day as well…”

“Stop thinking about painting all the time!” Futaba exclaimed.

“Impossible.”

“Alright you two, stop it,” Sojiro curtly said before the two could get into another argument, and Futaba looked over and nodded once she saw the serious look in his eyes. 

“Congrats, you two…” Futaba muttered. With a huff, Sojiro’s smile returned as he looked again over towards the newer couple. 

“But again, congratulations to you both.”

“Congratulations from me as well,” Sae nodded towards the two blondes.

“Thanks everyo–”

“You didn’t get one from me!” Morgana jumped to his feet and turned around in an instant to face the two, locking eyes with Ryuji in the process.

“Didn’t you give that long speech earlier?” Ryuji questioned.

“I-I mean… I did, but I still wanted to congratulate you two again!” Morgana exclaimed as he turned towards Ann. “Lady A- I mean, Ann, tell me whenever Ryuji is bothering you and I’ll set him straight.”

“Bring it,” Ryuji chuckled, and the two shared a grin after a moment of silence. However, the moment passed as Ryuji’s pants began vibrating and his face registered shock as he pulled out his phone. “Oh shit, we gotta get back Akira! The Meet starts at nine tomorrow and coach wanted us to be there by seven thirty.”

“Wow, didn’t expect Ryuji to be the one that wants to get decent sleep,” Futaba chuckled, but the two blondes and Akira and Sumire ignored her as all four got to their feet. 

“I believe it would do us all good to go home and get some rest. I shall be at the Meet tomorrow, so could you send me the address, Akira?” Yusuke asked, and Akira nodded.

“I’ll send it to the group chat,” Akira said before turning towards Sae. “Do you want to come? It’s an all day event, so you don’t have to.”

“I think that would be lovely,” Sae responded with a smile, and Akira was steadily surrounded by his friends as they all made it to their feet.

“We’ll be watching you both, so you better win!” Futaba declared, pointing both index fingers at Akira and Ryuji.

“I’ve never been to a Track and Field Meet before! I wonder what it’ll be like?” Haru questioned excitedly, turning towards Makoto as the two stood next to each other.

“I haven’t been to one either, so I don’t have a clue,” Makoto shook her head.

“It’s gonna be a long day, so you guys might want to bring some snacks and water with ya,” Ryuji warned, taking another glance at his phone before pulling Ann with him towards the entrance of Leblanc. “We really gotta go, see you all tomorrow!”

With that, goodbyes rang from throughout the small cafe as Ryuji and Ann left hand in hand, and the other Thieves followed suit not long after, only leaving Akira and Sumire left in the cafe with Sojiro and Sae.

“Shouldn’t you two be heading back as well?” Sae asked, and Akira nodded his head.

“Yeah,” he said as he took Sumire’s hand again and began making his way to the door. “What about you two?   
“We’re just gonna chat for a bit, don’t worry about it,” Sojiro responded, waving his hand in front of him, and Akira nodded his head once again as he turned back around. “Oh, kid!”

He stopped and glanced back to see Sojiro’s warm smile being directed at him.

“Thank you for letting go. That reassured the hell out of me when you said all that. Now, go give ‘em hell tomorrow!”

“Right!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back at it again with another Your Purpose chapter! I had a lot of fun with this one, and I would really appreciate a comment if you enjoyed it! Thank you all and I will see you next chapter where Akira and Ryuji compete in their first Meet!


End file.
